If spring cleaning is part of your weekend plans, experts are reminding the public to take precautions against Hantavirus.

Saskatchewan’s Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Julie Kryzanowski says exposure to hantavirus commonly occurs when cleaning enclosed buildings, or equipment and vehicles after winter.

Hantavirus is prevalent in areas where mice can get into grain bins, sheds, barns, garages, trailers or cottages over the winter, as well as farm equipment and vehicles.

To avoid breathing in particles from rodent droppings, urine or saliva, officials recommend wet mopping with hot water and detergent and suggest goggles and masks in enclosed areas. The province says it’s a good idea to ventilate for a half hour before starting.

Between 1994 and 2023, there have been 38 cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome reported in Saskatchewan, and 13 of them were fatal.