Third death reported in Yosemite viral outbreak

A third visitor to Yosemite National Park has died after contracting hantavirus, a rodent-borne lung disease, according to reports.

The most recent fatality occurred in West Virginia. The individual had visited the California park in "recent months," according to local public health officials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that the 10,000 people who stayed in Yosemite Valley between June and August could be at risk. 

Officials urge that any park visitors who exhibit strange or flu-like symptoms, especially those who stayed in the Curry Village campground, to seek immediate medical attention.

The outbreak has been linked to rodents nesting in the site's popular tent cabins. Humans may contract hantavirus by breathing air exposed to the urine or droppings of infected mice.

Several other cases have been diagnosed and linked to Yosemite. Because of the park's international allure, the World Health Organization and the Department of Health and Human Services have warned more than 30 countries about the outbreak.

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