Yosemite open despite virus that killed 2

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The deadly virus raising fears at California's Yosemite National Park does not spread easily, and, despite two recent deaths, does not warrant closing the park, a spokesman said on Monday.

So far, at least six cases have been confirmed of the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a rare but serious illness that kills one in three victims and cannot be treated.

"The hantavirus is contracted by breathing a particle from mice faeces and mice urine," and is spread by the deer mouse, a rodent that lives in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, park spokesman Kari Cobb explained.

"As long as individuals are staying in an area with good ventilation," and keeping watch for signs of mice in the area, "they should be fine," she told AFP.