Disturbing lack of coverage of the Yosemite National Park Virus

reply to post by TrueBrit
When I said I wouldn't stay in a cabin left empty I guess what I meant was a cabin not guarded by cats. Humans aren't enough to keep mice away but cat scent is an excellent deterrent. Nesting around cats isn't worth the risk I guess.

You're right when the population explodes mice will venture into areas previously avoided. Before we got cats mice were nesting in the vehicles, chewing spark plug wires, filling heater vents with poop/nesting material etc. Maybe this virus isn't passed around by humans but Yosemite vacationers could take home a "souvenir" hiding in their car. It's possible the virus could then spread to other areas via hitchhikers.

I've heard very little of this on the news. What I found troubling was one report mentioned the outbreak then went on to say park officials expected the cabins to be full the following weekend?? I would think at the very least the cabins should be closed/inspected/cleaned. Seems a bit negligent in light of the reported numbers infected by the virus.

Thankfully, we don't have it here in Britain - but when I (and many thousands of other people) am on holiday, I always share my accomodation with mice and voles. Without a second thought. (Or, rather, I stay in bothies which are the year round home of mice and voles)

Been a fair bit of coverage of this on the BBC News website - I don't watch TV news to know if there's been much mention of the outbreak there.

reply to post by froglette
Hadn't heard of the little girl in Pagosa Springs. At least with bubonic plague I believe antibiotics work. There's nothing for hanta virus though so it really needs to be taken more serious.

Pick your poison here in southern Colorado we've got it all. If the wildlife isn't out to get us the miners/frackers will slowly kill us with pollutants. Then there's the ranchers killing everything else with cyanide traps. We've got anthrax on the prairie from running cattle back in the day, it stays in the ground. Some water wells here are tainted with high levels of arsenic. It goes on and on. Despite all this we're promoted as a virtual tourist paradise...a recipe for disaster imo.

Proceed with caution in wilderness areas or anyplace you're not familiar with. Do some research or talk to the locals and heed their warnings.