Yosemite is in crisis; not because Yogi Bear has come back
to steal picnic baskets, but rather because of a potentially deadly virus. 9 vacationers have fallen ill with the hanta
virus following their stay in Yosemite’s “signature” cabins in Curry Village. 3 of these tourists have later died.
The hanta virus is a potentially deadly virus carried in the
saliva, urine, feces, and fur of infected field mice. Even if you don’t directly touch a field
mouse or its droppings, you can become infected by airborne particles and
dust.
Once infected, symptoms initially present as flu like
symptoms. This includes:
- Fever
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Muscle and body aches
OVER 3,000 WORKERS
FREQUENT YOSEMITE YEARLY
Following the discovery of hanta virus at Yosemite, the
national park has taken steps to protect its over 3,000 yearly workers. Beginning with park maintenance and
facilities workers, the park is undergoing a massive testing of employees to
detect infections without symptoms. These results have yet to be made public.
The frightening part for Yosemite park employees is the
rotating cast of thousands of employees the park sees on a yearly basis. This includes park rangers, facilities and
maintenance workers, and concession workers.
They tend to rotate through national park facilities. Potentially, if infected, these individuals
could also become carriers. The National
Park Service would like to prevent this from happening.
TESTING PRESENTS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE VIRUS
The National Park Service is working with public health
officials to protect their employees and their visitors. However, they also would like to use these
results to better understand the virus so they can protect the public better.
Ultimately, public health officials would like to understand
whether or not the virus will fail to exhibit symptoms in some people, whether
humans will act like carriers, and why some people are at greater risk than
others. They’re hoping this testing will
provide the answers.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’VE
BEEN EXPOSED TO THE HANTA VIRUS
The hanta virus has a 6 week incubation period. So if you
feel the onset of the flu roughly 6 weeks after camping in the woods, you may
want to ask your doctor for a hanta virus test just to be sure. Mention your camping trip to the doctor and
describe your rustic conditions. Provide
as many details as possible.
Instances of the hanta virus are rare, so don’t panic. If you do develop the virus, follow your
doctor’s advice. You may also want to
discuss your legal options with an attorney.