The CDC and state health departments have continued to receive information about several groups of college students who have become ill after vacationing in Acapulco. Most of the students stayed at or visited the Calinda Beach Hotel in Acapulco.
Laboratory tests indicate that the illness is probably histoplasmosis.
Histoplasmosis is a disease caused by a fungus and primarily affects the lungs. Symptoms of histoplasmosis include high fever, headache, dry cough, and chills. The disease is not transmitted from an infected person to someone else. The fungus is found in the soil and infection is caused by inhalation of the airborne Histoplasma spores. U.S. travelers to Acapulco during March, especially students who visited or stayed at the Calinda Beach Hotel, should consult their primary health care professionals if symptoms develop.