The AP (9/2, Cone) reported, "Up to 10,000 people who were guests in certain lodging cabins at Yosemite National Park might have been exposed to a deadly mouse-borne virus, park officials confirmed Friday as rangers handled a slew of calls from frightened visitors." Last week, "park concessionaire Delaware North Co. sent letters and e-mails...to nearly 3,000 people who reserved the insulated Signature cabins between June and August, warning them that they might have been exposed" to hantavirus. On Friday, "park spokesman Scott Gediman said...that means up to 7,000 more visitors might have been exposed to the virus that so far has killed two people and sickened four others."
The USA Today (8/31, Winter) "On Deadline" blog reported, "The park is receiving more than 1,000 calls a day from frightened visitors seeking information or reassurance," according to a report by the AP. Meanwhile, "the park has posted an FAQ on hantavirus, which is contracted from contact with the urine, feces or saliva of infected rodents, usually deer mice. The symptoms, which appear between one week and six weeks after exposure, include fever, severe headache, and muscle ache," then progress to severe difficulties breathing and even death.
The Wall Street Journal (9/1, McKay, Vara, Subscription Publication) reported that health advisories issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are asking public health officials and healthcare practitioners across the US to keep an eye out on Hantavirus-like symptoms in patients. Reuters (9/1, Whitcomb, Cohen) also covers the story.
No comments:
Post a Comment