CDC Says Low Risk of Major Hantavirus Outbreak Despite Cruise Ship Deaths
Public health editor
Timestamp shown in UTC unless otherwise indicated.
The US Centers for Disease Control said on Saturday it has extensive experience with the Andes strain of hantavirus. This should reassure Americans and assure them that the risk of a major outbreak is low. The statements came amid headlines about the virus that broke out on a cruise ship.
Three people died from the virus — a Dutch couple and a German woman. The Dutch, apparently, contracted the infection before boarding the ship during a birdwatching excursion at an Argentine landfill. Officials stressed: human-to-human transmission is rare, and the risk for Americans remains «extremely low».
Andes Strain and Its Features
Hantavirus is usually caught through contact with urine, saliva, or droppings of rodents. However, the Andes strain — the one currently being tracked on the MV Hondius ship — can in rare cases transmit between people. There were more than two dozen Americans on board.
Seven have already returned to the US and are under home monitoring. None of them have shown symptoms of the virus. The remaining 17 are still on board — the ship is heading to the Canary Islands. All returnees will be placed at the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska, where they will be under medical supervision.