There is no evidence to suggest that travel into areas where HPS has been reported should be restricted. Most usual tourist activities pose little or no risk that travelers will be exposed to rodents or their urine and/or droppings.

However, persons who do outdoor activities such as camping or hiking in areas where the disease has been reported should take precautions to reduce the likelihood of their exposure to potentially infectious materials.

Useful Precautions:

• Avoid coming into contact with rodents and rodent burrows or disturbing dens (such as pack rat nests).
• Air out, then disinfect cabins or shelters before using them. These places often shelter rodents.
• Do not pitch tents or place sleeping bags in areas in proximity to rodent droppings or burrows or near areas that may shelter rodents or provide food for them (e.g., garbage dumps or woodpiles).
• If possible, do not sleep on the bare ground. In shelters, use a cot with the sleeping surface at least 12 inches above the ground. Use tents with floors or a ground cloth if sleeping in the open air.
• Keep food in rodent-proof containers!
• Promptly bury (or--preferably--burn followed by burying, when in accordance with local requirements) all garbage and trash, or discard in covered trash containers.
• Use only bottled water or water that has been disinfected by filtration, boiling, chlorination, or iodination for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, and brushing teeth.
• And last but not least, do not play with or handle any rodents that show up at the camping or hiking site, even if they appear friendly.

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This page last reviewed Thursday, August 5, 2004

Special Pathogens Branch
Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services