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3 Common Questions About the Hantavirus Outbreak at Yosemite National Park

UC San Francisco (UCSF)

59K subscribers • 20 videos on Rounds • Health institution

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  • Published by UCSF, one of the health institutions Rounds lists. Nobody has recommended it in the communities yet, so it ranks below community picks.
  • Presented by Charles Chiu, MD, PhD, as the video describes them
  • May be out of date. Findings or guidance it presents have likely moved on.

For anyone, no background needed. Education, not medical advice.

5.6M views14 years ago

Immunity and infectionInfectious diseasePublic health and policy

Charles Chiu, MD, PhD, answers common questions about the hantavirus outbreak transmitted by rodents at Yosemite National Park.

*Update May 2026 This video describes a 2012 hantavirus outbreak at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park in California that resulted in 10 infections. The outbreak was caused by a different hantavirus strain than the one identified on the HV Hondius cruise ship. Unlike the cruise ship strain, which can be transmitted person-to-person, the 2012 Yosemite strain was transmitted from rodents to humans and is not known to spread between people. Below are links to the CDC and WHO regarding the cruise ship outbreak and Andes hantavirus: Andes Virus Outbreak on a Cruise Ship: Frequently Asked Questions cdc.gov/hantavirus/faq/index.html Hantavirus (WHO) who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hantavirus UCSF's Charles Chiu, MD, PhD, discusses hantavirus, a potentially fatal virus transmitted by rodents such as deer mice, which is making news following an outbreak at a popular tourist area of Yosemite National Park. The recent cases are a reminder for campers to be cautious, but not necessarily fearful, said Chiu. Previous hantavirus cases in Yosemite had originated at higher elevations, which are favored by the deer mouse that carries the virus, said Chiu, who directs the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center. Other rodents, including house mice, are rarely if ever carriers of the virus. ARCHIVED article about this linked below: ucsf.edu/news/2012/08/12648/hantavirus-be-careful-not-fearfu… Video by Jason Socrates Bardi

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UCSF is on Rounds' list of health institutions, and this upload is one of its most-watched lectures or explainers. Nobody has recommended it in the communities yet, so it ranks below community picks.