FREDERICTON - New Brunswick health officials are warning people about a deadly virus carried by deer mice.

The hantavirus has killed 12 Canadians in the seven years since it was first identified as one of a dangerous breed of killer bugs in North America.

It's been confirmed in every province and territory except Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories.

In New Brunswick on Thursday, health officials cautioned people to be careful when opening summer cottages and cleaning where rodents have nested.

This warning comes days after another Canadian advisory against the mosquito-borne West Nile virus. So far that bug has been detected in the northeastern United States. It causes a brain inflammation that can lead to death.

But health officials consider the hantavirus a more immediate and dangerous threat. They say that the virus, in its most deadly stage, attacks the lungs, killing through pulmonary failure.

Full Story: http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/NWview.cgi?/news/2000/05/19/hantavirus000519