A third person has died from hantavirus, the rodent-carried disease that has been plaguing visitors at Yosemite National Park.
The total number of infected people is at eight and health officials have upped the warning from 10,000 visitors to 22,000 Thursday. Health officials said that the virus is not contained to just one area of the park.
U.S officials had recently made a worldwide alert to some 10,000 people who had visited the park and were at risk of contracting Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The incidences of contraction had all occurred at Curry Village lodging in their "Signature Tents," between June and August.
Yosemite, known for its natural beauty, attracts tourists from around the world. Health officials say that as many as 2,500 that visited the park during those months live outside the U.S.
The third person to die from the disease has been identified as a West Virginia resident who contracted the deadly virus while staying in Curry Village in June. The person died at the end of July.
The disease is contracted by rodents, primarily deer mice who are prevalent in Yosemite. Since June, eight Yosemite visitors have contracted the disease with three of them being fatal.
In a statement from the park Thursday, it was revealed that the virus is not just confined to Curry Village and that one of the visitors who only had mild symptoms and is recovering, was staying in various High Sierra Camps in Yosemite in July.
Hantavirus Information
There is no known cure for the virus that can take up to six weeks for symptoms to show. Usually they take around two to four weeks to show after exposure.
People get the virus through airborne transmission so this could be from inhaling dust that is infected with the microbe in the saliva, feces or urine of rodents.
Early stage symptoms include:
Fatigue
Fever
Body aches
This can rapidly increase to severe difficulty breathing. Oxygen treatment can increase the chance for survival and early detection is key.
According to the CDC, these are other ways someone can get hantavirus:
- "If an infected rodent bites someone, the virus could spread, although this is still rare.
- People may contract the virus if they touch something contaminated with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, and then touch their nose or mouth.
- It's possible people can become sick if they eat food contaminated by urine, droppings, or saliva from an infected rodent.
- Opening and cleaning previously unused buildings.
- Work-related exposure such as those working under homes or in crawl spaces.
- Camping in hiking in places with infested trail shelters."
The deer mouse, which is reddish-brown and has a white underbelly is smaller than field mice. They are one of four rodents that can carry the virus and are found in every U.S. state. Deer mice are the most common carriers and about 12 percent of their population carries the virus.
Yosemite National Park says these are ways to help prevent contracting the virus:
- "Avoid areas, especially indoors, where wild rodents are likely to have been present.
- Keep food in tightly sealed containers and store away from rodents.
- Keep rodents out of buildings by removing stacked wood, rubbish piles, and discarded junk from around homes and sealing any holes where rodents could enter.
- When cleaning asleeping or living area, open windows to air out the areas for at least two hours before entering. Take care not to stir up dust. Wear plastic gloves and spray areas contaminated with rodent droppings and urine with a 10% bleach solution or other household disinfectants and wait at least 15 minutes before cleaning the area. Place the waste in double plastic bags, each tightly sealed, and discard in the trash. Wash hands thoroughly afterward.
- Do not touch or handle live rodents and wear gloves when handling dead rodents. Spray dead rodents with a disinfectant and dispose of in the same way as droppings. Wash hands thoroughly after handling dead rodents.
- If there are large numbers of rodents in a home or other buildings, contact a pest control service to remove them."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
