10,000 at risk of killer virus after two die after stay in tent cabins at Yosemite National Park

The California park is warning approximately 10,000 guests who stayed in their tent cabins between June 10 and August 24

A deadly rodent-borne hantavirus is responsible for the death of two men that has sickened at least four others known



Some 10,000 people who stayed in tent cabins at Yosemite National Park this summer may be at risk for the deadly rodent-borne hantavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

Two men have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome linked to the Yosemite outbreak and four others were sickened but survived, while the CDC said additional suspected cases were being investigated from 'multiple health jurisdictions.'



The CDC urged lab testing of patients who exhibit symptoms consistent with the lung disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, after a stay at the California park between June and August and recommended that doctors notify state health departments when it is found.

Scroll down for video



Infected: Three people have died from a rodent-borne hantavirus that's linked to an outbreak in the Yosemite National Park primarily around guests who stayed in tent-style cabins, pictured

Most of the victims were believed to have been infected while staying in one of 91 'Signature' tent-style cabins in Yosemite's popular Curry Village camping area.



'An estimated 10,000 persons stayed in the 'Signature Tent Cabins' from June 10 through August 24, 2012,' the CDC said. 'People who stayed in the tents between June 10 and August 24 may be at risk of developing HPS in the next six weeks.'

Yosemite officials earlier this week shut down all 91 of the insulated tent cabins after finding deer mice, which carry the disease and can burrow through holes the size of pencil erasers, nesting between the double walls.



Park authorities said on Friday that they had contacted approximately 3,000 parties of visitors who stayed in the tent cabins since mid-June, advising them to seek immediate medical attention if they have symptoms of hantavirus.

Warning numbers: An estimated 10,000 people stayed in the 'Signature Tent Cabins' from June 10 through August 24, 2012 according to the park making them susceptible to the virus; the U.S. issued a world-wide health warning about the disease this week

Shut down: All 91 of the cabins, the inside of one pictured, have been shut down since the outbreak

Nearly 4 million people visit Yosemite, one of the nation's most popular national parks, each year, attracted to the its dramatic scenery and hiking trails. Roughly 70 percent of those visitors congregate in Yosemite Valley, where Curry Village is located.



The virus starts out causing flu-like symptoms, including headache, fever, muscle ache, shortness of breath and cough, and can lead to severe breathing difficulties and death.



The incubation period for the virus is typically two to four weeks after exposure, the CDC said, with a range between a few days and six weeks. Just over a third of cases are fatal.



'Providers are reminded to consider the diagnosis of HPS in all persons presenting with clinically compatible illness and to ask about potential rodent exposure or if they had recently visited Yosemite National Park,' the CDC said.

Spreading: Park officials have since been busy spreading the word to park goers, as well as those who previously visited, with one one seen handing information on the virus here

Symptoms: National Park pamphlets on the virus describe its flu-like symptoms including headache, fever, muscle ache, shortness of breath and cough

Although there is no cure for hantavirus, which has never been known to be transmitted between humans, treatment after early detection through blood tests can save lives.



'Early medical attention and diagnosis of hantavirus are critical,' Yosemite superintendent Don Neubacher said in a statement. 'We urge anyone who may have been exposed to the infection to see their doctor at the first sign of symptoms and to advise them of the potential of hantavirus.'



Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb said rangers have answered some 1,500 phone calls from park visitors and others concerned about the disease. But she said the outbreak had not triggered a wave of cancellations.



'Right now it's normal numbers for Friday,' she 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.'

Attraction: The western Sierra Nevada mountains of California are seen in the park where up to 10,000 people who stayed in the lodging cabins may have been exposed to the virus

A national park service officials has said that public health officials warned the park twice before about hantavirus after it struck visitors. But it was not until this week that the hiding place for the deer mice carrying the virus was found.



Hantavirus is carried in rodent feces, urine and saliva, which dries out and mixes with dust that can be inhaled by humans, especially in small, confined spaces with poor ventilation.



People can also be infected by eating contaminated food, touching contaminated surfaces or being bitten by infected rodents.



Watch the video here:



