cause of hantavirus outbreak linked to mice

Mice Traced as Cause of Yosemite Hantavirus Outbreak

Among the most recent outbreaks of the deadly hantavirus occurred in the fall of 2012 at the popular Yosemite National Park in California. As a result of three of the Park’s visitors dying after contracting the virus, the World Health Organization issued a warning for travelers around the world who might be planning to visit the scenic historic site on the west coast of the United States.

In addition to the three deaths, more than half a dozen other people suffered severe pulmonary distress as a result of hantavirus infection. Many scientists were baffled as to the cause of the outbreak in Yosemite, since hantavirus is normally restricted to high-altitude locations.

But the cause of infection at Yosemite has been traced to a group of insulated cabins known as the “Signature Tent Cabins”, which were likely infested with mice carrying the hantavirus and transmitting it to human occupants of the tent-like cabins. Officials of the U.S. National Park Service report that as many as 10,000 individuals who visited the Park since the summer of 2012 may have been exposed to the hantavirus and should seek immediate medical attention if they exhibit any flu-like symptoms associated with the virus.

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http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/yosemite-hantavirus-outbreak/