Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya defended the federal response to the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, saying U.S. health agencies have been coordinating closely with international partners and warning against public panic.
In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Bhattacharya pushed back on criticism that the CDC reacted too slowly to the outbreak, which has killed at least three people aboard the ship.
“We are in touch with the WHO,” Bhattacharya said. “This is not COVID, Jake, and we don’t want to treat it like COVID. We don’t want to cause a public panic over this.”
The outbreak comes as several former public health officials question whether recent staffing cuts weakened the CDC’s ability to respond quickly to international disease threats.
Bhattacharya said the CDC had been providing technical assistance throughout the outbreak and adjusted its public messaging based on the actual epidemiological threat.
Concerns Grow As Passengers Return Home
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has already spread beyond the ship. A passenger returning to Switzerland recently tested positive, becoming the first confirmed off-ship case.
Health officials are monitoring passengers who returned to the United States and other countries before full contact tracing began.
The outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only known hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission. Unlike COVID-19, health officials say the virus spreads through prolonged close contact rather than casual airborne exposure.
The World Health Organization has said the overall public risk remains low.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized the administration over previous CDC staffing cuts, arguing the outbreak exposed weaknesses in U.S. disease surveillance systems.
Bhattacharya rejected those concerns, saying CDC outbreak teams had worked “night and day” to stay on top of the situation.
Cruise operators, including Carnival Corp. (NYSE:CCL), Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE:RCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE:NCLH) have remained largely unaffected in markets so far.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com
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