Headlines - Hantavirus in the United States

On August 27, 2012, the California Department of Public Health and Yosemite National Park authorities reported 3 confirmed cases (including 1 death) and 1 probable case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) since June 2012. The cases involve California tourists who were infected after staying in tent cabins at Curry Village within the national park between June 10 and August 21, 2012. U.S. health authorities, in coordination with park officials, have identified and notified most of the affected individuals, including French tourists. Hantaviruses are zoonotic diseases found on the American continent during the spring and summer. The severe form observed (SPH) is very rare and caused by various hantaviruses, including Sin Nombre, which has already been found in California and accounts for about one-third of deaths. Since 1993, California has reported a total of 60 cases, including 20 deaths. Across the United States, 537 cases of SPH have been reported since 1993 (an average of 30 cases per year, with a 35% fatality rate). The hantavirus is present in the urine, saliva, or feces of infected wild rodents1. Infections are often associated with exposure factors (living near a forest, exposure in forests or enclosed spaces, hunting, etc.). There is no human-to-human transmission. Symptoms of HPS appear 1 to 6 weeks after exposure, but the average incubation period is 2 to 3.5 weeks. [...]