Outbreak of acute illness--southwestern United States, 1993

Beginning in May 1993, cases of acute illness characterized by fever, myalgias, headache, and cough, followed by rapid development of respiratory failure, have been reported to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Colorado Department of Health (CDH), and Utah Department of Health (UDH). This report presents preliminary findings from an ongoing investigation of this problem, which suggest this illness is associated with a previously unrecognized hantavirus.