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The Center for Disease Control is warning of an unprecedented virus outbreak in California, with two confirmed deaths so far and two more ongoing cases. The virus' ground zero seems to be in Yosemite Park:
The National Park Service (NPS) announced that there were 3 confirmed cases and 1 probable case of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in visitors who stayed at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park since June of this year. Public health officials believe that these visitors may have been exposed to Hantavirus while staying at the Signature Tent Cabins in Curry Village. Two people have died.
The hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—formerly Korean hemorrahgic fever—is a rare but often fatal disease, so the CDC is "advising [these people] to seek immediate medical attention if they exhibit symptoms of HPS." It has an incubation time of two to four weeks in humans before these bone chilling symptoms are manifested in various phases.
First, the symptoms seem like influenza mixed with gastrointestinal problems: "fever, chills, sweaty palms, diarrhea, malaise, headaches, nausea, abdominal and back pain, respiratory problems such as the ones." These start "three to seven days and arise about two to three weeks after exposure."
The CDC and the California Department of Public Health are now working with the National Park Service to asses the situation and make sure that the outbreak is contained. Right now, the authorities are contacting people who stayed in these tents from mid-June through the end of August.
About 1,700 people may have been exposed to the virus during that period. Speaking to the LA Times, Yosemite park ranger Jana McCabe says the outbreak "unprecedented."
We take this extremely seriously. We want to know what's going on.
While there have been other cases of the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the United States since 1993, according to the CDC's Dr. Barbara Knust, it's "very rare" to find repeated cases of the virus in the same place, which is why they are taking this so seriously.
The virus may have spread to other countries, as many of the 1,700 people who stayed at the cabins in the Curry Village have since returned to their places of origin. While the disease can not be spread from human-to-human contact, the people who have been potentially exposed should get themselves checked out immediately. And anyone else should do their best to avoid rats—the carriers—at all cost.
美国疾控中心(CDC)正在对一场发生在加州的,空前的病毒爆发做预警,目前已经有两例死亡病例以及两名被感染病例。据悉,该病毒的“原爆点”可能在位于加州中部的约塞米蒂国家公园(Yosemite Park):
美国国家公园管理局(NPS)通知称,自今年6月起,在 Curry Village 留宿过的约塞米蒂公园游客中,已有3名汉坦病毒肺综合征(HPS)的确诊病例,另外还有一个疑似病例。公共卫生官员认为是这些留宿在 Curry Village 的游客在 Signature Tent Cabins 时被感染了汉坦病毒。两名患者已经死亡。
汉坦病毒肺综合征(HPS)——也就是曾经的朝鲜出血热(Korean Hemorrahgic Fever,流行性出血热的一种)——是一种不常见,但通常致命的疾病,所以 CDC 在督促那些“在自身上发现了 HPS 症状的人们尽快去寻求专业的医疗帮助”。HPS 一般有两到四周的潜伏期,在潜伏期之后 HPS 的不同阶段会呈现出不同的,令人毛骨悚然的症状。
初期,它常被人误认为是流行性感冒加肠胃问题:“发热,发冷,手心出汗,腹泻,全身不适,头痛,恶心,腹痛,背部疼痛,呼吸道问题。”这些症状从感染后3到7天开始逐渐发作,一般在暴露在病毒源后两到三周的时间内。
在这之后,情况就会急转直下了,接下来的阶段包含心跳过速和呼吸急促。之后病人会感到“呼吸困难 ,咳嗽,气短”。这个时候病人就会进入“心肺阶段,可能发生休克,病人必须住院治疗”。
CDC 和加州公共卫生部正在和国家公园管理局共同对情况进行评估,并保证爆发是在可控制范围内。目前,当局正在联系每一名从六月中旬到八月底在山庄帐篷里住过的所有游客。
在这段时间内有大约1,700人曾经被暴露在病毒感染风险之中。据《纽约时报》报道,约塞米蒂公园的巡警 Jane McCabe 说,这次病毒爆发是“史无前例”的。
我们相当严肃地对待这起事件。我们希望知道事件的进度。
虽然自1993年起美国就开始出现 HPS 病例,但是根据 CDC 的 Barbara Knust 医生说,这次[爆发]“非常罕见”,在过去几乎找不到类似的情况,这也是为什么现在大家都如临大敌。
该病毒可能已经传播到了境外——1,700名游客中有一部分是外国游客。虽然汉坦病毒不能在人与人之间直接传播,不过曾经被暴露在病毒环境下的人们还是应该尽快去医院检查,确定自己的安全。除此之外,最近大家应该特别警惕老鼠,因为汉坦病毒的宿主和传染源就是啮齿类动物。
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