WHITE RIVER VISITOR CENTER AT BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

The White River Visitor Center of Badlands National Park has been closed until further notice under the advice of Public Health Officers for the National Park Service due to a severe infestation of rodents. Mice, particularly the deer mouse, are known to carry Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a potentially deadly disease. Until the building can be cleared of the rodent population, park officials are closing the facility effective Wednesday, June 4, 2003, for visitor and employee safety. The facility opened on Sunday, June 1 and was scheduled to be open daily through August 26, 2003. Staff working at the White River Visitor Center found that they were constantly exposed to mouse urine and droppings and that daily cleanings were having no impact on the mouse populations. HPS has been recognized as a disease only recently in North America and, although fairly uncommon with a low infection rate, is a potentially deadly disease that requires immediate intensive care once symptoms appear. Transmission occurs when people breathe in air contaminated with the virus. Contamination results from exposure to fresh mouse droppings, including urine, or nesting materials. Activities involving cleaning and "opening up" facilities that have been closed for extended periods of time typically put people into contact with rodent nests. Badlands National Park staff have been working since early May to get the White River Visitor Center open for the summer. The facility is closed from September through May each year.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the most common carriers of HPS are deer mice, cotton rats, and white-footed mice. The common house mouse is not known to carry or transmit HPS. HPS is not contagious from person to person nor is it transmitted to other species of animals other than specific rodent species. Overall the chance of being exposed to hantavirus is greatest when people work or play in closed spaces where rodents are actively living.

For more information on HPS, visit the Center for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov For planning alternative activities for Badlands National Park, visit the park's trip planning website at http://www.nps.gov/badl/