What is hantavirus, the cause of Gene Hackman’s wife’s death?

foxnews.com:

The causes of death have been revealed for actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman, 65. Hackman was found to have atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease along with advanced Alzheimer's disease, while his wife likely passed away first from "hantavirus pulmonary syndrome" (HPS), according to New Mexico authorities.

Hantaviruses include a group of viruses primarily carried by rodents that can cause severe respiratory or renal diseases in humans, according to Dr.

Rhys Parry, a molecular virologist at the University of Queensland in Australia. Most hantaviruses that are found in North, Central and South America can cause HPS, the condition that Hackman’s wife was found to have, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "The hantaviruses that are found throughout the United States are not known to spread between people," the CDC stated.

HPS has a nearly 40% fatality rate in those who are infected, according to the above source. "Hantaviruses typically spread when humans breathe in virus particles from disturbed rodent urine, droppings or nesting materials," Parry told Fox News Digital.