Exposure to pet rats has led to an outbreak of Seoul virus in Illinois and Wisconsin:
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday that pet rats are the source of an outbreak of Seoul virus infections in Illinois and Wisconsin. The virus has been confirmed in eight patients in an ongoing investigation. The recent cases are "the first human cases we've seen in the United States associated with pet rats," said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, a veterinarian and deputy division director for CDC's division of high consequent pathogens and pathology. Several previous outbreaks reported in the US occurred in wild rats.
Also at CBC. Illinois Department of Public Health statement.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a Seoul Virus FAQ.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21 2017, @11:28PM
And so it begins... Red states first of course...
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Sunday January 22 2017, @12:04AM
Now what begins? And Illinois went Democratic in the 1992 presidential election as well as every one since.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_state-blue_state_divide#Table_of_presidential_elections_by_states_since_1972 [wikipedia.org]