Grand Canyon mystery illness reportedly triggers NPS investigation after rafters report alarming symptoms

The National Park Service (NPS) has launched an probe into a mysterious unwellness affecting aggregate rafters who took abstracted Grand Canyon trips successful caller weeks.

Several radical took to societal media past week to study a clump of unexplained illnesses that they accidental person near doctors searching for answers. The rafters said they embarked connected two-week trips opening arsenic aboriginal arsenic mid-May, and developed conditions aft returning home. 

Paddling Magazine reported that parkland officials are present starring the probe arsenic rafters study experiencing terrible and achy symptoms. 

Speculation astir the imaginable origin has dispersed online, with immoderate healthcare professionals and others weighing successful connected imaginable explanations, including mosquito-borne illnesses specified arsenic dengue fever and chikungunya.

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Rafters interval down the Colorado River astatine the commencement of their travel done the Grand Canyon. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

According to a Facebook radical "Grand Canyon Private Boaters," 4 radical became sick aft a radical of 16 radical embarked connected a two-week rafting travel successful mid-June.

In a July 1 post, idiosyncratic Steven King described a scope of symptoms among members of the group, including fever, chills, fatigue and pneumonia. He said immoderate individuals experienced much terrible complications, including fluid successful the lungs and nonaccomplishment of consciousness. 

"One idiosyncratic concisely mislaid consciousness successful their doctor's bureau past was subsequently hospitalized," King said. 

King besides described different idiosyncratic who developed what helium called "cobblestoning" — an corruption oregon cellulitis-like information — connected a bruised country of the shin that "feels similar a breached bone."

"X-ray doesn't amusement a break, and it doesn't look to beryllium healing astatine each but alternatively getting worse," helium said. 

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Rafters get acceptable to motorboat astatine Lees Ferry for a travel down the Grand Canyon. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

He said further precautions were taken by immoderate individuals arsenic officials person yet to find the origin of the alleged illnesses.

"One idiosyncratic started receiving the rabies vaccine successful an abundance of caution adjacent though they are not truly showing symptoms of rabies specifically," the idiosyncratic said.

King reported that the radical did not brushwood immoderate ticks during the trip, but reported seeing mosquitoes connected respective nights portion successful the canyon.

Separately, Matthew Wappett — who said helium went to the exigency country with a swollen genu and "bone-crushing" associated symptom aft a two-week travel successful mid-May — besides reported experiencing mosquito bites during the rafting trip. 

"We slept retired each nighttime and did get immoderate mosquito bites," Wappett said successful a July 2 post. 

Rafters interval down the Colorado River done the Grand Canyon. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

An infectious illness epidemiologist reportedly told Facebook idiosyncratic Dan Squire that the illnesses could perchance beryllium linked to mosquito-borne viruses specified arsenic dengue fever oregon chikungunya. 

"Based connected the symptoms and the reports of mosquito bites (together with the deficiency of GI symptoms and nary reports of tick bites) it’s sounding viral - and symptoms are a bully lucifer for some Dengue and Chikungunya. (Hanta should besides beryllium ruled out)," Squire wrote, citing his friend.

Squire said the adept noted that dengue and chikungunya are uncommon successful the U.S. compared with different parts of the world, but Arizona is location to mosquitoes susceptible of transmitting some viruses.

"If idiosyncratic who had been exposed to these viruses (like during planetary travel) went into the canyon portion inactive carrying the virus, they could person transmitted to section mosquito populations," Squire wrote. 

An infectious illness epidemiologist reportedly said that the enigma illnesses could perchance beryllium linked to mosquito-borne viruses. (iStock)

The healthcare nonrecreational besides suggested doctors could person trouble identifying the origin if patients bash not study caller planetary travel, perchance starring to delays successful investigating for definite viruses.

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"People reporting symptoms similar this, but without caller planetary travel, are highly improbable to beryllium tested for these viruses successful AZ," Squire added.

The NPS and the Arizona Department of Health Services did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment.