10,000 Guests Exposed to Deadly Virus, Yosemite National Park Confirms
Authorities are saying that as many as 10,000 visitors have been exposed to a deadly virus -- Hantavirus -- spread by rodents at Yosemite National Park. Six people have been infected, two of whom have died. The park has sent letters to guests citing that between June and August certain cabins were affected. According to the CDC, there have been nearly 600 cases of Hantavirus in the US from 1993 to 2011, and one-third of them were fatal.
Dr. Manny joined Happening Now to talk about the dangers of the virus and said there’s no treatment for it. “This virus is carried by mice, and rats also, especially field mice, and if you get exposed to these droppings or urine of the mice in a very close tent, you can really get exposed to this virus.”
He went on to say, “It is not transmitted from human to human. The problem with this is that it has a long incubation period, anywhere between four to six weeks.”
When it comes to the virus, what are the signs to watch out for? According to Dr. Manny, it’s very difficult to diagnose and it looks like a bad case of the flu. If it is caught early, doctors can do some support treatment to try to minimize the side effects.
