2nd hantavirus case confirmed on Pine Ridge

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Oglala Sioux tribal officials say a second case of hantavirus has been confirmed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The news comes days after lab tests confirmed that a young tribal resident died from hantavirus. It was the first confirmed death from the virus on the reservation.

People can get hantavirus from contact with rodents or their waste, and it can eventually lead to respiratory failure.

Donna Salomon, spokeswoman for Oglala Sioux President John Yellow Bird Steele, says in a news release that the most recent patient has been transferred to a specialized pediatric hospital for monitoring. She says the patient's health appears to be stabilizing.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe's Health & Human Services Committee says cleaning supplies like face masks, gloves and bleach are being made available to residents.