Federal officials said in June they had identified a mysterious illness killing people in the Four Corners area of New Mexico and Arizona as a hantavirus.
They said the disease was spread by microbes in the urine and droppings of deer mice.
The illness, first detected in March, caused its victims -- most of whom were young and healthy -- to suffer flu-like symptoms followed by respiratory failure. By June 24, at least 19 people had died of the ailment, most on the Navajo reservation in northwest New Mexico. Other cases were detected in California and Arizona.
