Boy, 9, dies after contracting a rare virus from mouse droppings



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A boy from New Mexico was removed from the survival system, according to a GoFundMe group created for his family, after contracting a rare virus in April that was probably from mouse droppings.

In February, Fernando Hernandez, aged 9, was diagnosed with hantavirus, an infectious disease that is normally spread through contact with rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats, and mouse with white paws. People usually contract the virus when they are bitten or come into contact with the feces of an infected rodent. They can quickly cough and be out of breath because the infection causes fluid buildup in the lungs.

Since his diagnosis, Fernando has undergone "various surgeries" and "heart failure," says the donation page.

"I can tell you that these last few weeks have not been so great for him … he was in constant pain but was holding on," his family wrote on GoFundMe. "I can also say [you] even if he was misplaced, he was not afraid to go with God one day.

According to Farmington Daily TimesFernando was at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio when he had a cerebral hemorrhage on October 26th. He was placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) device, which helps patients with failing hearts and lungs by pumping oxygen throughout the body. But the incident left him brain dead and the family then made the heartbreaking decision to remove him from the machine.

ASSOCIATED VIDEO: A New Mexico Mother Fights for Life in Resuscitation After Controlling a Rare Virus in Rodents

"We really thought it would come out," said Fernando's father, George Hernandez, at Daily hours.

The GoFundMe family, which was created to raise funds for Fernando's funeral expenses, raised more than $ 3,600 from 75 donors.

The transmission of hantavirus to humans is extremely rare. As of January 2017, only 728 cases had been reported in the United States. But the virus can be fatal and cause a mortality rate of 38%.

The symptoms of hantavirus are similar to those of the flu and include fever, exhaustion, muscle aches and nausea. Families should take precautions if they have ever been to areas inhabited by rodents.

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At the time of Fernando's diagnosis, Kiley Lane, 27, of Farmington, New Mexico, also contracted hantavirus. Her mother, Julie Barron, told her daughter's story to raise awareness about this rare disease.

"Kiley's story may be unique and who knows why or how she contracted it," Barron told PEOPLE in February. "But the important thing is that people need to know – if they think they have been exposed – to ask to be tested, because doctors probably will not think about the virus right away."

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