UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

DEPARTMENT OF RISK MANAGEMENT

HANTAVIRUS AWARENESS TRAINING SELF -STUDY (Feb 2006 version)
for Clean-Out of Buildings

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control Recommends respirators for persons in occupational settings who are cleaning out buildings in areas with endemic hantavirus:  such as rural and periuban settings.

All U of A employees, volunteers and students who wear respirators must be enrolled in the UA Respiratory Protection Program. (http://fp.arizona.edu/riskmgmt/respiratory_protection.htm)

This self study quiz is a prerequisite for OSHA mandated respirator medical clearance, training and fit testing.  Please visit the URLs listed for each question, and answer the questions below before scheduling the hands-on respiratory protection class. 

Step 1:  Fill out self study quiz below, and submit via email to jcrosen@email.arizona.edu or fax to (520) 621-3706

Step 2:  Contact Julia Rosen at Risk Management to obtain an OSHA respirator medical questionnaire.  (Julia Rosen, 621-1570), jcrosen@email.arizona.edu.

Complete questionnaire and submit to Occupational Health Services:  http//www.health.arizona.edu/webfiles/health_services_occupational_health.htm

Some individuals may need to have a physical exam, based on questionnaire answers.

Step 3:  Schedule a respiratory protection class with Risk Management Julia Rosen 621-1570.  Allow 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Each student will be given a “prescription” for a respirator, including the brand and size respirator that fits. Just like shoes, respirators come in different sizes for different faces.   Men need to be clean shaven where the respirator could contact skin.  Not even a day’s worth of stubble is allowed.  As an alternative, hooded powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) may be used.  These are much more costly (hundreds of dollars), but do not require medical certification or fit testing for users, and are the only type of respirator that will protect bearded individuals.

Step 4:  Purchase respirators and other PPE (personal protective equipment) required for the job.  Costs are your department's responsibility.

HANTAVIRUS AWARENESS TRAINING - SELF STUDY QUIZ

Please visit the following websites and answer the questions below before the hands-on respiratory protection class.  Replies may be sent via email or faxed to me at 621-3706, or brought to class.

1a.     What are the most common symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS)?

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/symptoms.htm 

1b.     What is the maximum incubation period between exposure and symptoms?

2.       What is the fatality rate for HPS? http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/caseinfo.htm

3.       In 2004, a 41 year old cabin owner died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in West Virginia.  Describe how he was exposed (see patient B):

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5346a3.htm

4.       How many cases of HPS have been seen in Arizona since discovery in 1993?          

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/epislides/episl5.htm

5.       What should you do if you develop symptoms of HPS within 6 weeks of  your work cleaning out a building with heavy rodent dropping or activity?

          http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/treating.htm

6.       Any and all buildings in which “deer mice”, or scientifically known as Peromyscus species must dealt with with the proper care.   The Arizona department of Health service has identified evidence (seropositivity) of hantavirus infection in at least six different Peromyscus sp. in AZ:

P. maniculatus, P. eremicus, P. boylii, P. truei, P. leucopus, and P. crinitus
 

Human case exposures/transmission of Sin Nombre virus in AZ has been linked to

P. manc. and P. eremicus. P. boylii in northern AZ has been shown to carry another Hantavirus - Limestone Canyon virus - but nothing is known about its pathogenicity to humans.  There are also 3 other types of rodents that have shown to carry hantavirus.  Which of these are found in Arizona?  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/rodents.htm

7.                How is hantavirus primarily transmitted?

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/at_risk.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/aerosol.htm

8.       Name 5 hazard control steps to take when cleaning out a closed up
building with rodent droppings: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps_stc/stc_clean.htm

9.       Name 4 items of personal protective equipment and the type of respirator cartridge to be worn when cleaning out enclosed buildings.  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/prevent4.htm 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. Respirator cartridge type:__________________________

 
10. Wearing protective clothing, such as disposable suits places a substantial heat stress burden on the body.  Choose a brand of suit that both protects and  “breathes” better to allow the body's normal cooling mechanism of evaporative sweating to work.  Recommendation:  Dupont’s Proshield^R Next Gen^R or equivalent.

 

http://www2.dupont.com/NASApp/tyvek/DPPRequestGateway/0/5/?command=VCProductFamilyIntro&prod=1018

It is important to know how to recognize and prevent heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke: Please visit the following OSHA web site to answer the following questions:http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hantavirus/control.html

a.  What are the signs of heat exhaustion?

b.  What are the signs of heat stroke?

c.  Which of these is more dangerous?

d.  What should you do if you develop heat exhaustion?

e. What should you do if you have symptoms of heat stroke?

f.  Name 4 important steps to preventing heat related illness:

1

2

3

4