Mystery illness leaves dozens of tourists violently ill at famous hiking trail

A suspected norovirus outbreak has struck hikers on a popular stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail, leaving around a dozen backpackers violently ill and forcing a 73-year-old man to be airlifted

A nasty outbreak of highly contagious stomach illness has ripped through a popular stretch of a famous long-distance hiking route. The mystery illness has consequently left backpackers violently ill.

Around a dozen hikers are said to have been struck down by the stomach bug after walking part of the Pacific Crest Trail. The famed route stretches for more than 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada, running through California, Oregon and Washington in the US.

As a result, officials believe norovirus is to blame, a bug that can cause sudden, severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Among them was 73-year-old Ron Hals, who was so weak at his campsite he had to be medically airlifted out.

Hals settled into his camp in the Wrightwood area on the night of May 14, The New York Post reported. He claimed he had “never been that weak” and was so ill that he struggled to even leave his tent.

He had set himself the goal of hiking the first 1,000 miles of the route as a personal challenge following the death of his wife. But after becoming seriously unwell he called 911.

“My emotions were very much on the surface, and I admit that I cried because I didn’t want to go,” Hals, who was later diagnosed with norovirus, said. “But I knew that these people had risked their lives to come find me, and I couldn’t just tell them to go away.”

It is still unclear exactly how the outbreak began, but a number of cases appeared to trace back to a water cache in Swarthout Valley, between Cajon Pass and Mount Baden-Powell. Moreover, the outbreak is understood to have started around May 8 and worsened over the following two weeks.

The trail itself is one of its busiest periods as thousands of hikers head north in tight clusters to avoid scorching summer heat and lingering mountain snow. That crowding, combined with shared facilities and supplies, can make illnesses spread rapidly.

The Pacific Crest Trail Association said it was aware of reports of “gastrointestinal illness” around the Wrightwood section of the route, according to the New York Post. Norovirus is a highly infectious stomach bug that causes sudden gastroenteritis, an infection of the stomach and intestines, according to NHS guidance.

Often dubbed the “winter vomiting bug”, it can bring on sudden bouts of projectile vomiting and watery diarrhoea. For most people it is miserable but short-lived, typically clearing up on its own within two to three days.

However, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warns the virus spreads with unusual ease, which is why outbreaks can rip through places where people are in close contact.

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