Deadly Yosemite virus warning to 10,000 US campers
28 replies, posted
[quote][img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/img/1_0_1/cream/hi/news/news-blocks.gif[/img]
Thousands of people could be at risk from a deadly virus in California's Yosemite National Park that has already claimed two lives, officials say.
Four other cases of Hantavirus, a rare lung disease, have been reported.
The park said it is getting about 1,000 calls per day from frightened visitors on its Hantavirus hotline.
There is no known cure for the virus, spread by infected rodent droppings. Symptoms can take up to six weeks and one third of cases are fatal.
The virus is carried in rodent faeces, urine and saliva. When it dries out and mixes with dust, it can be inhaled by humans, especially in small, stuffy spaces.
The disease can also spread if people touch or eat contaminated substances, or are bitten by an infected animal.
The first death was reported earlier this month - one of those who died was a 37-year-old man from the San Francisco Bay area.
Extreme breathing difficulty
The outbreak of the virus at Yosemite is thought to have been caused by mice nesting in the insulation of tents at a campsite in the Curry Village area of the reserve.
About 10,000 visitors stayed at the campsite between June and August and could be at risk of contracting the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The CDC added that they were looking into suspected cases of the disease in "multiple health jurisdictions".
They also urged doctors to report diagnosed cases of Hantavirus to state health authorities.
The park has contacted about 3,000 groups of visitors warning them to seek medical advice if they experience flu-like symptoms, including headache, fever, shortness of breath, muscle ache and cough.
Severe cases can lead to extreme breathing difficulty and death.
Earlier this week, park officials closed all 91 "signature" cabins after finding deer mice, which carry the virus, nesting between the double walls of the luxury tents.
But they added that the outbreak of the virus had not led to a wave of cancellations.
"Right now it's normal numbers for Friday," Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb said.
"There have been cancellations, but it would be grossly overstated to say they're cancelling en masse. There's quite a bit of people out there still.
"It's still summer and a holiday weekend. It's still the summer crowds," she said.
Nearly four million people visit Yosemite National Park annually and about 70% of them visit Yosemite Valley, where Curry Village is located.
The park has seen two other cases of the hantavirus in a more remote area in 2000 and 2010, but this year's deaths were the first.[/quote]
[b]SOURCE:[/b]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19447160
Yikes, Hantavirus is some nasty shit, I've nearly caught it a couple of times.
Holy fuck we're doomed I tell you it's the end!
Fuck, I live in California and work as a cashier
I hope I don't catch anything funny.....
[QUOTE=Kill001;37492517]Fuck, I live in California and work as a cashier
I hope I don't catch anything funny.....[/QUOTE]
I empathize with you. I blame being a cashier as the reason why I have herpes of the mouth.
[QUOTE=Kill001;37492517]Fuck, I live in California and work as a cashier
I hope I don't catch anything funny.....[/QUOTE]
It was nice knowing you :v:7
Oh god I live in sweden should I go to the hospital?
Send me $20,000 on Paypal and I shall email you a vial of cureness for this virus, don't be scared, give me your money and you will be allowed into heaven
[editline]1st September 2012[/editline]
Praise Jesus
No facepuncher will get this virus though, we're all basement sitting nerds that never go out or meet people!
Right, right? :downs:
Still not showing symptoms of this. I'm safe... for now :tinfoil:
Thank god i live on the other side of the country
[QUOTE=dije;37495132]No facepuncher will get this virus though, we're all basement sitting nerds that never go out or meet people!
Right, right? :downs:[/QUOTE]
Yeah, we'll catch T.B. instead.
Good
My plan is working
[QUOTE=dije;37495132]No facepuncher will get this virus though, we're all basement sitting nerds that never go out or meet people!
Right, right? :downs:[/QUOTE]
I think you got mixed up with the people from reddit.
camp facepunch nooo
RIP Shawn Chatfield
Shut down the park.
[QUOTE=ultra_bright;37496531]Shut down the park.[/QUOTE]
Shutting down all of Yosemite would be a very, very difficult task.
My friend and fellow facepuncher bawp's parents just went camping there. I must warn them.
Aww no I hiked Half Dome in the beginning of August o.O
(Great views though!) :wink:
BTW if you're scared of heights, I do not recommend at all. I am not scared of heights whatsoever, but it's still pretty scary going on the cables, knowing you could fall two thousand feet if you let go seeing as you have no foot traction at all
[QUOTE=Chinook249;37497893]Aww no I hiked Half Dome in the beginning of August o.O
(Great views though!) :wink:
BTW if you're scared of heights, I do not recommend at all. I am not scared of heights whatsoever, but it's still pretty scary going on the cables, knowing you could fall two thousand feet if you let go seeing as you have no foot traction at all[/QUOTE]
Yeah or catch a deadly virus.
[QUOTE=Chinook249;37497893]Aww no I hiked Half Dome in the beginning of August o.O
(Great views though!) :wink:
BTW if you're scared of heights, I do not recommend at all. I am not scared of heights whatsoever, but it's still pretty scary going on the cables, knowing you could fall two thousand feet if you let go seeing as you have no foot traction at all[/QUOTE]
I've been wanting to hike that. Though I'm 2000 miles away so getting there is a problem for me. Watching Alex Honnold free solo Half Dome made me want to backpack and climb out there.
[QUOTE=Xieneus;37497626]Shutting down all of Yosemite would be a very, very difficult task.[/QUOTE]
Depends on how you shut it down.
Shutting down all life on a specific area can be quite easy
I went hiking over there like 8 weeks ago. I'm coughing like crazy and a slight headache at the moment, but I'm telling myself it's just allergies.
Fuck, my sister went camping in multiple places in Cali for the summer. Can humans spread it too?
Yup she was in Yosemite, but not in the hotzone. I'll just leave the house with a hazmat suit from now on.
[QUOTE=imMonkeyGOD;37511625]I went hiking over there like 8 weeks ago. I'm coughing like crazy and a slight headache at the moment, but I'm telling myself it's just allergies.[/QUOTE]
you're going to die
I am currently sick AND live in California...what are the symptoms?!
edit:
i read further, i have all the symptoms, but I can breath ok.
[QUOTE=notlabbet;37512393]what are the symptoms?![/quote]
Sickness.
[QUOTE=GhostG45;37512446]Sickness.[/QUOTE]
I HAVE THoSE
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