SANTA CRUZ, Calif.- Concerns over the rodent-borne hantavirus are growing. Yosemite park rangers said up to 10,000 people who stayed at the park may have been exposed.
The cabins of concern are called "Signature" in Curry Village. They're tent cabins and their walls are made out of fabric, allowing the rodents to get in. Two people have died, four others sickened. As the outbreak grows, more than 1,000 calls a day are coming in to the new hantavirus hotline at (877) 232-3322.
Even though these most recent cases are only coming out of Yosemite National Park, we decided to find out if campers in our area are worried about catching it.
Central coast campers said Yosemite may be about 200 miles away. But since it's such a popular destination, hantavirus is something people said they wouldn't want to mess with.
"Yea, that's be definitely a concern of mine. I camp out a lot," said camper Rory Schneider.
The California Department of Public Health said it's only spread through rodent feces, which could be found anywhere at a campsite. Schneider said he's not a germaphobe and he always makes sure to put his trash in the right place. He hopes hantavirus doesn't make it to Santa Cruz County.
"I think a lot of people are kind of germaphobes, there's a difference between what's sterile and what's clean," Schneider said.
The Centers for Disease Control said hantavirus was first discovered in 1993 and 587 cases have been documented in the US. California has seen 62 cases, 21 of them deadly. While cases are rare and the virus can't be spread between humans, campers like Schneider said it's always better to err on the side of caution.
"It's not something I'm going to be frantic about anytime soon. But I mean it would be a concern just cause of the dense populations of people," Schneider said.
Early symptoms of the virus include fatigue, fever and muscle aches. There may also be headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems. Then 4-10 days after the initial phase, the late symptoms appear. These include coughing and shortness of breath, as the lungs fill with fluid.
