Man dies from rare rodent disease at Yosemite

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Yosemite National Park officials say a man is dead and a woman is recovering after contracting a rare rodent-borne disease in popular lodging area.

Park officials said Thursday that tests confirmed the man died from hantavirus after he died in late July. Both victims had been staying in tent cabins in the park in June.

Park officials say the hantavirus has been detected in deer mice around Curry Village Campground.

The virus takes one to six weeks to incubate. It’s fatal for about 30 percent of people who contract it, most likely by inhaling the virus from mouse urine or droppings.

The park concessionaire has been working to disinfect cabins since the discovery, and officials have been trapping and testing mice.