Hantavirus is blamed for the death of a Placer County Lake Tahoe area resident. The virus is carried by Deer Mice, and spread through their droppings. It does not transfer person to person. People who clean outbuildings or other places populated by rodents are urged to wear masks and gloves, and sterilize the area with water and 10 percent bleach and a mop, not by dry sweeping. Symptoms of hantavirus infection typically appear within two to four weeks after an exposure. First symptoms are like the flu: fever, headache and abdominal, back and joint pain.