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# Yosemite National Park: 8 cases, 3 deaths of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome reported
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/hantavirus_pulmonary_syndrome_0907120620/
- Published: 2012-09-07T07:19:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:57:32.000Z
- Description: The National Park Service has confirmed hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in eight people who stayed at Curry Village in Yosemite since June 2012; three died and the rest are improving. The park is contacting Signature Tent Cabin guests. The U.S. strains do not spread person to person.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Disease, Health News, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Friday Sept 7, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of August 30, 2012, The National Park Service has announced the sixth confirmed case of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in visitors who stayed at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park in California since June of 2012.

Health officials believed that visitors who stayed at the Signature Tent Cabins in Curry Village, California may have been exposed to Hantavirus. Of the six cases, two people have died. An estimated 12,000 people are at risk of Hantavirus in Yosemite outbreak, according to media reports.

The park service is contacting visitors who stayed in the Signature Tent Cabins in Curry Village, California from Mid-June through the end of August and urging them to immediately see medical attention if they experience any Hantavirus symptoms.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome can come often with acute respiratory failure, mild-moderate renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and reactive lymphocytosis. There is no treatment for the infection, but patients can receive cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal function support to lower their odds of dying from the infection.

Most recent information came from the National Park Service, which updated the situation today on Sept 6, 2012 as follows.

*The National Park Service has received confirmations from national and state public health agencies of HPS cases linked to eight individuals who stayed one night or more in Yosemite since June of this year. Three cases have resulted in fatality; the five remaining individuals are either improving or recovering. The confirmed cases include six individuals from California, one from Pennsylvania, and one from West Virginia. The types of Hantavirus that cause HPS in the United States cannot be transmitted from one person to another.*

*Seven of the eight cases of HPS have been linked to the "Signature Tent Cabins" in Curry Village in Yosemite Valley. Those cabins have been closed and parties who stayed overnight since June 10 have been reached out to by the park or the operator of Curry Village, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc.*

*The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has advised the National Park Service that one of the eight confirmed cases of HPS stayed in multiple High Sierra Camps in Yosemite (a different area of the park than Curry Village) in July, and that the stay in the High Sierra Camps is the most likely source of that person's infection. This individual exhibited mild symptoms and is recovering.*

*Hantavirus infection is rare yet deadly. Ten to fifty people get infected with the virus annually in the United States. And most cases occur in the southwestern United States. The death rate worldwide can be up to 50 percent depending upon the type of virus a patient get infected with. There are a few types of medical conditions that can be caused by the virus including Hantavirus Pulomary Syndrome (HPS), and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renale Syndrome (HFRS). In the U.S., Hantavirus causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) which kills 38 percent of infected patients.* 

Some Basics About Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome 

Hantavirus Transmission

In the US and Canada, the Sin Nombre hantavirus is responsible for the majority of HPS cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is the main carrier for the virus that is found throughout the western and central US and Canada.

People can get infected with Hantavirus by contacting infected rodents or their urine, saliva, nest or droppings. But people get infected often after they inhale contaminated air indoors. Because of this, people may get infected with Hantavirus through certain working activities including opening and cleaning previously unused buildings, housecleaning, working as construction, utility and pest control workers, camping and hiking among other things.

Four types of rodents in North America are known to be common carriers of Hantavirus including deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus), rice rat (Oryzomys palustris), and White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus). 

 The deer mouse is seen throughout North America, preferring woodlands, but also appearing in desert areas. 

The cotton rat is seen mostly in the southeastern US and down into Central and South America. It prefers areas with shrubs and tall grasses. 

The rice rat seen in the southeastern US and Central America prefers marshy areas and is semi-aquatic. 

The white-footed mouse is seen throughout southern New England, the Mid-Atlantic and southern states, the Midwestern and western states, and Mexico. It prefers wooded and brushy areas.

Hantavirus Symptoms

The spectrum of known signs and symptoms associated with Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome may not be complete because of the limited number of HPS cases. Symptoms can develop within one to five weeks of exposure to fresh urine, dropping, saliva of infected rodents. 

Early universal symptoms can include fatigue, fever and muscle pain, particularly in thighs, hips, back and sometimes shoulders. Other non-universal symptoms that show up in nearly 50 percent of HPS patients can include headaches, dizziness, chills, and stomach problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain.

Late symptoms for Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome can show up four to ten days after the initial phase of illness. Late symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath.

Reported cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

In the United States, as of December 31, 2011, 587 cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome have been reported from 34 states. Thirty-six percent of the reported cases have resulted in death. It is unknown why some people died and some survived. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that healthy people can get sickened too, even if they may not have to die. The mean age of patients with diagnosed Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is 37 years ranging from 5 through 83 years.

About three-quarters of patients with HPS have been residents of rural areas. Rodents inhabit often in rural areas, but they can be seen also in cities where water, food and shelters are available.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome treatment

Unfortunately, there is no special treatment, cure or vaccine available for Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. However, early intensive care may provide support for patients so they may have a better old to recover from the infection.

"If you have been around rodents and have symptoms of fever, deep muscle aches, and severe shortness of breath, see your doctor immediately. Be sure to tell your doctor that you have been around rodents—this will alert your physician to look closely for any rodent-carried disease, such as HPS," The CDC advises.

Hantavirus Prevention

The only prevention measure against Hantavirus infection is to prevent rodent infestations in the residential area.

*The article is written based largely on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Photo Courtesy: CDC*