Dinosaur National Monument Trail volunteers get mysterious, flu-like illness

July 8, 2001

Trail volunteers get mysterious, flu-like illness

July 4, 2001 Posted: 9:36 AM EDT (1336 GMT)

VERNAL, Utah (AP) -- Sixteen trail volunteers at Dinosaur National Monument

have come down with a flu-like disease that may have been transmitted by

deer flies.

Half of the volunteers were hospitalized over the weekend, though the

disease isn't considered dangerous.

All the volunteers are from outside Utah and apparently suffered an

animal-borne disease that rarely affects residents, said ph Shaffer,

director of the tri-county health department in Vernal that covers

northeastern Utah.

Shaffer said his investigation is focusing on deer flies that can transmit a

bacterial virus. He said he ruled out the more dangerous hantavirus carried

by deer mice as the cause.

The group had been working on a trail to a cave.

" These kids have been subjected to massive bites, " Shaffer said. " They

didn't take a lot of precautions to prevent themselves from getting bitten.

They got feasted upon. "

The stricken volunteers, high school graduates and college freshman, are

from Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Vermont, Virginia and Poland.

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