Extreme Anxiety about Hantavirus

[mkg529]

Hello,
This past weekend I retrieved some boxes that had been stored in an outdoor storage shed/closet from a residence in PA. This is in a neighborhood, think a mix of suburb and small town; farmland is nearby, but this was on a residential street. When we opened one of the cardboard boxes that hadn't been sealed completely by the last person who put it in, after pulling out a few towels and a bag we heard what sounded like small rocks or seeds falling into the bottom of the box. Upon looking, we noticed what we THINK was mouse poop on one of the towels and a small piece that had fallen on to the open lid of the box. We never saw any mice and didn't encounter any nesting materials before we disposed of the box and contents after we discovered this. I did see a dead, very large bug, probably an American Cockroach, in the back of the shed.

The problem is we opened the box INSIDE hours after we had left the shed/closet.

I have been in a PANIC ever since. I'm terrified - I'll get distracted and calm down for a while and then remember and start spiraling. I'm so scared. : (

Any advice would be appreciated...

 

[AMcSwain]

Hello,
This past weekend I retrieved some boxes that had been stored in an outdoor storage shed/closet from a residence in PA. This is in a neighborhood, think a mix of suburb and small town; farmland is nearby, but this was on a residential street. When we opened one of the cardboard boxes that hadn't been sealed completely by the last person who put it in, after pulling out a few towels and a bag we heard what sounded like small rocks or seeds falling into the bottom of the box. Upon looking, we noticed what we THINK was mouse poop on one of the towels and a small piece that had fallen on to the open lid of the box. We never saw any mice and didn't encounter any nesting materials before we disposed of the box and contents after we discovered this. I did see a dead, very large bug, probably an American Cockroach, in the back of the shed.

The problem is we opened the box INSIDE hours after we had left the shed/closet.

I have been in a PANIC ever since. I'm terrified - I'll get distracted and calm down for a while and then remember and start spiraling. I'm so scared. : (

Any advice would be appreciated...

I wish I had some advice… I’d use it myself lol but when I’m spiraling I just try to distract myself even if it’s watching something funny or cleaning something.

 

[E.B]

Only thing I can offer is that I personally wouldn't think twice about that being a problem...I would not worry about it at all.

 

[mkg529]

Only thing I can offer is that I personally wouldn't think twice about that being a problem...I would not worry about it at all.

Thank you...I keep going back and forth between feeling silly for freaking out so much, especially when we're just assuming it was mouse droppings to start...Trying to read helpful information that remind me since they started tracking this in 1993 only 8 cases have been recorded in the entire state, and one of those caught it out west, and no one has come into contact with it anywhere near where I was...

 

[E.B]

Thank you...I keep going back and forth between feeling silly for freaking out so much, especially when we're just assuming it was mouse droppings to start...Trying to read helpful information that remind me since they started tracking this in 1993 only 8 cases have been recorded in the entire state, and one of those caught it out west, and no one has come into contact with it anywhere near where I was...

We with anxiety can be very irrational...I know i have been many times. I went through a bad rabies anxiety time...similar irrational thoughts. You are ok.

 

[JMD12542]

I was so drawn to this question because my husband likes to tell me I’m the only person in the world (not in the medical field) that knows about hantavirus. Every single time I encounter mouse droppings (which is thankfully somewhat rarely), I am a wreck for at least a week after. I understand what you are feeling.

 

[Wyattlove]

We had mice in our home for two solid years that we had a really hard time getting rid of. Countless droppings were cleaned up (they look like black sesame seeds btw). At first I had the same concern but it turns out you need to sweep or vacuum for it to become a problem. Just opening a box is harmless. I’m sure you will be fine.