The state Health Department says South Dakotans who will be working outdoors as the weather warms should take precautions against hantavirus.

The primary carrier of the disease in South Dakota is the deer mouse, which is found statewide. People are infected when they breathe in the aerosolized virus from droppings, urine or saliva of rodents.

The lungs can fill with fluid, causing respiratory failure.

South Dakota has reported 13 cases, including four deaths, since 1993. Nationwide, more than 465 cases have been reported during that period.

The virus was first detected in the southwestern United States. The Department of Health has complete information about the disease here.

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