Health authorities are dealing with Quebec's first case of the deadly hantavirus.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a viral disease carried by wild rodents – especially deer mice. They are the principal animal reservoirs of the virus in Canada.

Humans can only be infected when they inhale the virus, usually through dust containing mouse feces.

A man from Nicolet contracted the disease in a forest just north of Trois-Rivières last year.

Health Canada has confirmed the man has the illness, which is fatal in about half of cases.

Hantavirus made its first appearance in North America when a mysterious illness killed a dozen people in the American Southwest in 1993.

Since then, it has spread across the continent, although it has been concentrated mostly in the West. It killed an adult this month in Alberta.

Mice themselves don't appear to get sick from the virus. But if they are infected, they excrete the virus in their feces, urine and saliva. Humans are at risk when the droppings get stirred up in the air, by sweeping, for example.

Quebec public health authorities considered this first case a serious matter, but said people could take simple precautions.

People reopening their cottages should clean up well, but don't use a vacuum or broom.

Instead, wear rubber gloves and wet the material with disinfectant. Then mop up the dirt with a damp cloth and spray with more disinfectant. Spray any dead mice with disinfectant and double-bag them for disposal.

Disinfect, or better still, throw out the rubber gloves. Items that can't be disinfected can be rendered safe by exposing them to sunlight for a few hours. Ultraviolet rays kill hantavirus.

Also, wear a mask that is clearly marked NIOSH N95 or NIOSH N100, which are standards of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

"Our patient survived, which is not a miracle, but almost," said Dr. Sylvie Lacoursière of the provincial Public Health Department in Trois-Rivières.