Perhaps we should pay more attention to the great fear of mice that elephants display in cartoons...in particular to the deer mouse and white-footed mouse, both very popular in North America. Despite their cute little whiskers and fuzzy little bodies, the deer mouse and white-footed mouse can be extremely deadly.

But how can such small rodents pack such powerful punches?

The deer mouse and white-footed mouse carry the Hantavirus, which causes a disease known as Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). You can become infected from this deadly disease through contaminated dust from the mice's droppings, urine and/or saliva in and out of your home. Once exposed to the Hantavirus, signs of sickness can take up to five weeks to appear. Initial symptoms are similar to that of the flu:

• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle aches and Pains
• Nausea and Vomiting

After the initial symptoms, you will start to experience a shortness of breath and coughing. This is an indication that the disease is rapidly progressing and you need to immediately seek hospitalization.

The final stages of the disease result in internal bleeding and respiratory failure. Over half the cases of HPS have resulted in death.

Be Aware of HPS & How to Avoid It, But Don't Be Scared as a Mouse of It.
For the reason of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome alone, you are very wise to take commonsense measures to eliminate and keep rodents out of your home. This is especially important during fall and winter, when mice appreciate the shelter and warmth inside your walls as much as you do.

The deer mouse and white-footed mouse are prevalent in North America, but deer mice are particularly concentrated in the western region while the white-footed mouse is concentrated in the northeast.

HPS was first recognized in the U.S. in 1993, while the first confirmed case of HPS in Canada occurred in 1989. Retrospective analysis, however, indicates that HPS has been present in North America since as early as 1959.

While the number of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome cases is relatively low (you won't be seeing any alarmist books based on it yet), the severity of the condition - again, it has resulted in death in over half of those who contract it - makes it a true cause for you to take necessary precautions.

To Avoid and Eliminate the Threat of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

1. Make Sure You Keep Your Home, Especially Your Kitchen, at a Microscopic Level of Clean. This includes floors, countertops, appliances, furniture and all home surfaces. But be warned: common cleaners and cleaning tools like cotton rags and maps do not cut it at all. You must seriously consider clothes, mops and other cleaning tools that are made from ultramicrofibers.

• Sixwise.com strongly endorses and now offers you PerfectClean's entire line of ultramicrofiber high performance cleaning products. The ultramicrofibers reach into microscopic nooks, crannies and crevices on your floors, countertops, furniture and other surfaces and remove everything in their path. No other type of cleaning tool can come remotely close to removing viruses, bacteria and other microscopic contaminants!

• Further, the ultramicroscopic fibers in PerfectClean are positively charged while dirt and biological contaminants are negatively charged ... that means that unlike any other type of cleaning tool, the PerfectClean ultramicrofibers grab everything and never let it go. Dangerous germs won't be spread around your floors or other surfaces as other cleaning tools tend to do!

2. If you have or have had rodents in your home, the need for cleaning with PerfectCLEAN ultramicrofiber cleaning tools is even more urgent. In addition to using the best cleaning supplies available (PerfectCLEAN), it is equally important to follow these guidelines to ensure your home is rodent-free:

• Keep All Food in Tightly Sealed Containers. This one is self-evident: if mice can get into your food, they will. Whether it is stored in your pantry, cupboards, or refrigerator (mice have definitely found their way inside refrigerators), seal your food so mice and other rodents can't get inside.
  
  
• Cover Your Garbage with a Tight-Fitting Lid. Garbage cans that mice can easily open (they are remarkably strong) are their fast food joints. Shut down the operation.
  
  
• Don't Let Your Pet's Food Remain in Their Bowls for Too Long. Especially if your pet is not going to be in the immediate vicinity of their food for any extended period, toss the food out in a sealed garbage can.
• Patch Holes in Your Walls Properly to Keep Rodents Out. Use lath screen or lath metal, cement, wire screening or other patching materials, to seal all entry holes that are ¼ an inch wide or wider (both inside and out.)
  
  
• Eliminate Mice in Your Home with the Most Effective Mousetraps! They've built a better mousetrap, and if you have or suspect you have mice in your home, it's wise to own a few: the Victor Electronic Mouse Trap is highly recommended by SixWise.com. The Victor Electronic Mouse Trap irresistibly lures mice in, and then quickly (humanely) eliminates them with a quick electric shock. Its unique tunnel makes it very safe around children and pets, unlike traps that snap shut or poisons. Plus it avoids the unpleasant site and messy clean-ups of other traps.