Hi,
We found evidence of a mouse in my car Saturday morning. This is a car that I drive every day, so we knew it hadn't been inside the car for long. that night, we were able to trap the mouse, a little house mouse, which made me feel better... however... We also trapped a deer mouse in the garage that night. So I am now terrified that my kids and I have been exposed to hantavirus. I'm worried that the deer mouse may have been in the car, also.
We have only trapped the two mice, so I think they were just starting to come in from the cold? I hope? There has been old evidence of mouse in the garage for years, which I am having completely cleaned and sanitized this week by a qualified company.
What is the risk of exposure to hantavirus in Illinois? How prevalent is it in the deer mice here? Would I have had to be close to the droppings to be exposed? We thoroughly wet the droppings before we picked them up, and sprayed down the interior of the car with disinfectant before cleaning it. I am having it professionally steam cleaned this week, also. I am afraid to drive it until it is sanitized. Should I be worried about the people cleaning the car?