Widespread exposure calls for crisis management with reach
Camping is a summer mainstay for many, but if you decided to take your family to California’s famed Yosemite this year, you’re probably feeling a bit nervous right now.
Hantavirus, a bug few of us even knew existed, has leapt into the headlines after killing several campers that contracted it during their stay at the park this year. With the death toll now sitting at three and many more potentially exposed, what are officials doing about the situation?
In yet another example of a U.S. government office making fine use of the ‘net for crisis management, the National Park Service has decided (correctly, we would say) that educating the public is the best course of action.
The NPS has taken a page straight from the book of its crisis management partners at the CDC and created its own “Hantavirus in Yosemite” page. This page features not only regular press releases and news about Hantavirus, but also general information for the public and health care providers.
According to reports, the NPS has issued personal warnings to some 12,000 travelers who may have been exposed to the virus. Because some visitors were international, the NPS is also working with officials in 39 countries outside of the States.
Yosemite officials have also been hard at work on site, and say that they have detected and eliminated a design flaw in certain tents that allowed mice to nest in the walls, promoting the spread of the rodent-borne disease.
With the cause of the crisis eliminated and active crisis management going on across the globe, as well as on the web, the National Park Service looks to be doing all it can to combat the Hantavirus thus far.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/