SF Gate There were 3 hantavirus-related deaths in 2025. This year, despite no more infections, officials are still taking it seriously. It’s been nearly a year since three people died in Mammoth Lakes due to hantavirus, and the popular ski region is still taking precautions seriously. Justin Caporusso, the Mono County public information officer, told SFGATE in a phone call last month that last year’s fatal exposures to hantavirus — which is spread in the Eastern Sierra through the droppings or saliva of infected deer mice — were “a complete seasonal anomaly.” “It mostly occurs in warmer months, so we often launch campaigns towards later spring,” he said. “So when it was still winter, that kind of threw us off as well.”
California: After ‘unprecedented’ health threat, Mammoth Lakes is still cautious
- Published Apr 1, 2026