Recently I noticed a man named Shane Harris on facebook posting about the dangers of the paranormal. Specifically, he wanted to warn people that there are risks associated with inhaling things from the environment and becoming sick. This is his posting on facebook

WHY WE SHOULD WEAR A MASK WHEN INVESTIGATING

My wife Sara Harris is in UNC Chapel Hill Hospital…We are Paranormal Investigators and we need your prayers…She has been in the hospital for 24 days now…She now has been placed on an ECMO lung bypass machine because she has a infection from something she inhaled. We were doing an investigation at an house that had bats and rodent droppings…I believe that we stirred the air up and she inhaled something and infected her lungs to the point that she almost died…She now is on day 7 of the ECMO machine and has many many more days to go…She now has a 70% chance of living, but we won’t know until about day 10 . I am reaching out to the paranormal community for prayers and also so you can protect yourself against the things we can’t see that are living and breathing in the air. Please be careful, as i dont want this to happen to you…I update my face book page daily with her condition. I love my wife with all my heart… I was on Darkness Radio last night telling her story and want to know if you would be willing to tell her story also…You can contact me for more info.

Thank you
Shane Harris

When paranormal investigators go out we sometimes encounter mold, bacteria, viruses, wildlife, floors that are crumbling as well as other dangers. Sometimes it is best to wear a mask to protect your lungs. If you suspect any threat to your health you should be wearing a mask if you have to be on the property. His wife had become sick after an investigation were they were in a home that had bats and rodent droppings. This immediately gave me chills because it brought back memories of the hauntavirus.

In 1993 there was an outbreak of hantavirus in the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The host that carried that virus was found to be deer mice. It all began when a young and physically fit Navajo man began suffering from shortness of breath. He was rushed to a hospital in New Mexico and died very rapidly. When doctors began reviewing his case they found the man’s fiancée had died a few days before after showing the same symptoms. This finding launched a full investigation as to the cause by the New Mexico Office of Medical Investigations.

They went asking for similar cases and found 5 other young people had died with acute respiratory failure. The wheels started spinning faster now. Just think of movie Contagion or Virus. They all had acute respiratory symptoms similar to the flu which included throat irritation, coughing, sneezing, fever, chills, and muscle aches. They developed cough and severe symptoms of the disease about seven days after initial symptoms. Half of them had headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pains. None of them knew they had a hauntavirus. Once the severe symptoms start with this disease it progresses rapidly with hospitalization and ventilation often required within 24 hours. When the outbreak in this case was over there were a total of thirteen people who died.

Hauntaviruses are the agents implicated in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is an acute febrile condition which was recognized after a 1951 outbreak among U.S. troops stationed in Korea. Outbreaks from hauntaviruses have occurred on and off throughout history. Those at risk from acquiring the virus are people who work, live and explore anywhere there are mouse droppings. Those who do urban exploration and paranormal investigators are also at a higher risk as well because they explore vacant buildings many of which contain droppings.

How a person becomes infected with the virus is by what we call inhalation of an aerosol. Rodents shed the virus in their urine, droppings, and saliva. When these droppings are stirred up by sweeping or moving things around, tiny droplets of the virus become airborne. The whole process is called aerosolization. People get the disease when they breathe air that has been contaminated by the virus. Other ways to be exposed are bites from a rodent or touching a surface that is contaminated with the virus and then touching your nose or mouth.

Since 1995 hantavirus pulmonary syndrome has been recognized 102 patients in 21 states of the U.S., 7 in Canada and 3 in Brazil with half of those people dying from the disease. There is no treatment or cure for this disease once it has been identified in a patient. The best hope anyone has is avoiding areas that could potentially have the virus.

If you happen to live in an infested area you want to sanitize your space. You need to get rid of the rodent infestation by trapping. When there is no evidence of infestation you must wait for about 5 days before beginning to clean these areas. The next step is to ventilate the space you are cleaning for at least 30 minutes to allow fresh air to enter by opening the doors and windows and leave the area while airing it out. When you begin to clean it is important that you do not stir up dust by using a vacuuming or sweeping the droppings or nest materials. You must wear rubber gloves and spray the urine and droppings with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water and let soak 5 minutes before removing the urine or droppings with a paper towel. 1 part bleach to 10 parts water is the recommendation for the concentration of the bleach solution. Dispose of the waste in the garbage then disinfect anything that might have been contaminated. The next step is to thoroughly clean all the areas and everything within those areas.

I read that Sara Harris passed away from her illness yesterday. My heart is breaking for this family. Here is his post to facebook

Today I lost my wife and best friend…Things will not be same without her…I must now raise a daughter who misses her mommy…But i am happy that she is now with Jesus and i haft to change my lifestyle so i can be with her again…Sara baby I love you with all my heart and soul and you will always be my wife…nobody will ever get that chance…when we got married we both said “til death do we part” well baby i am not dead yet so you don’t need to worry…im a one women man and baby you are all i need and all i will ever have…I will see you again…I love you

There has been no confirmation anywhere yet on the virus or bacteria she was exposed to. I believe everyone who investigates needs to think before they go out. Is this worth your life? If you must go out you need to protect yourself from the environment. There are simple rules you should go by as an investigator. You should always go with another person in case you are injured. Always carry a flashlight and extra batteries with you to see where you are going. You need to pay attention to your environment so you do not get cut, punctured, bit, or fall breaking a bone. If you think there are in an area with rodent droppings wear a mask.

You can read one of my previous blog posts on dangers of urban exploration here http://www.hauntedchef.com/2011/03/22/dangers-of-urban-exploration/

I also did a video that year on the dangers of urban exploration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eGSKemwtaQ&lr=1