Rare virus that killed Gene Hackman's wife claims three more lives
The rare hantavirus that killed Gene Hackman 's wife Betsy Arakawa has claimed the lives of three more people in California . The victims were all from the town of Mammoth Lakes, around 250 miles inland from San Francisco, where officials said they had been struck by hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) . Dr. Tom Boo, the Public Health Officer for Mono County, where the deaths occurred, described the incidents coming so close together as 'tragic and alarming.' The health official said it is not yet understood where the deceased individuals had contracted the deadly virus, which is exceedingly uncommon. HPS is so rare in the US that only one or two people die every year, and there have only been around 1,000 cases in the past three decades, mostly among farmers, hikers and campers and homeless populations. The deaths come weeks after Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their New Mexico home on February 26 , afte...