3 dead from same rare virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife — sparking alarm among health officials

Three people in the rural California town of Mammoth Lakes have died from the same rare virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife causing alarm amongst health officials.

Betsy Arakawa, the famed actor’s classical pianist wife, died in February of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the couple’s New Mexico home — thrusting the rare disease into the national spotlight.

Now, Mono County Public Health confirmed three more deaths this week, calling the situation both “tragic” and “alarming.”

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“The occurrence of three cases in a short period has me worried,” said Dr. Tom Boo, Mono County Public Health Officer.

It took authorities two weeks to unravel the mystery surrounding the celebrity couple’s death when they revealed Arakawa, 65, had contracted the fatal virus.

Hantavirus is caught through contact with feces, urine or saliva of infected mice — most often by inhaling contaminated air particles.

Mono County Public Health authorities said one of the other two cases likely resulted from the victim vacuuming rodent waste, while the individual was likely exposed at home during a known infestation.

But there was no evidence of mice infection in this latest case, deepening the mystery around the elusive disease.

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“We don’t have a clear sense of where this young adult may have contracted the virus,” said Boo.

The virus is rare but deadly — somewhere between 20 and 50 people catch it each year in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One-third of people infected die from the disease.

Infections normally occur in the late spring or summer, making these three cases this early in the year “strikingly unusual,” said Mono County Public Health.