Georgia airman who died at Fort Bliss had hantavirus

<p>A Georgia airman who died earlier this month at Fort Bliss had hantavirus, a U.S. Air Force official confirmed Tuesday.</p><p>Senior Airman Leonard Hankerson Jr., 24, a security forces patrolman from Savannah assigned to the 56th Security Forces Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Ariz., died Feb. 11 at William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso. Lt. Col. John Paradis, a Luke Air Force Base spokesman, said autopsy results confirmed last week that Hankerson had the disease transmitted from rodents through urine, droppings or saliva.</p><p>Hankerson was at Fort Bliss training to deploy to Iraq when he became ill.</p><p>Paradis said it is unclear how or where Hankerson contracted hantavirus. No other Luke Air Force Base airmen have been diagnosed with the disease, Paradis said.</p><p>Fort Bliss officials have started cleaning barracks and other locations where Hankerson spent time while at the post to help prevent the virus' spread. Paradis said the Air Force also was trying to help locate the source of Hankerson's infection.</p>