NPS Probes Illness Cluster in 2 Grand Canyon Rafting Trips as 4 of 16 Boaters Fell Sick
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 9
NPS Probes Illness Cluster in 2 Grand Canyon Rafting Trips as 4 of 16 Boaters Fell Sick
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 9
Summary
Multiple Grand Canyon rafters from separate two-week trips since mid-May reported severe unexplained illnesses, prompting the National Park Service to open an investigation.
Four of 16 people on a mid-June trip later fell ill, according to a Facebook group post, with reported symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, pneumonia, fluid in the lungs and one brief loss of consciousness.
A second rafter said he went to the emergency room after a mid-May trip with a swollen knee and "bone-crushing" joint pain, while posters from both trips said they had mosquito bites in the canyon.
Online speculation has centered on mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue or chikungunya, though no cause has been confirmed and officials have not publicly commented.
The inquiry comes as U.S. health officials are already tracking summer increases in a microscopic parasite that can cause prolonged gastrointestinal illness, underscoring broader seasonal disease concerns.