CDC monitors 41 for hantavirus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on May 14 that 41 people across the United States are being monitored for symptoms after potential exposure tied to an Andes hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The agency said no U.S. cases have been confirmed from the outbreak. Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya said on May 15 that the White House and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are receiving daily briefings on the federal response. CDC has described the risk to the American public and travelers as extremely low. ### Which outbreak are U.S. officials responding to? The CDC said the outbreak is linked to the M/V Hondius, a cruise ship that departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and traveled through the South Atlantic Ocean, including stops in Antarctica, South Georgia Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island. The agency’s May 8 Health Alert Network notice said the World Health Organization was notified on May 2 of a cluster of severe acute respiratory illness among passengers and crew. WHO confirmed on May 6 that the virus involved was Andes virus, a type of hantavirus that can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe lung disease. As of May 8, WHO had reported eight cases, including three deaths, according to the CDC advisory. ### Who are the 41 people being monitored in the United States? Jay Bhattacharya said 41 U.S. residents are being monitored for possible infection. Reuters reported, citing Bhattacharya, that 18 of them were passengers on the ship who returned to the United States before the outbreak was identified and are now quarantined in Nebraska and Atlanta. CDC said it worked with state and federal partners to repatriate passengers from the ship to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, both high-containment facilities. The agency also said health departments are monitoring all exposed passengers identified so far. ### How does Andes virus spread, and why are schools being mentioned? Dr. David Fitter, the incident manager for the CDC’s hantavirus response, said a person is considered high risk if they were on the ship between April 6, when the first person became sick, and May 10, when the last person disembarked. (usnews.com) He said other high-risk contacts include people who had close contact with a sick person or that person’s bodily fluids, and people seated in close proximity to a symptomatic passenger during air travel. (cdc.gov) Fitter said Andes virus “does not transmit easily” and spreads through close, prolonged contact. He said high-risk contacts should stay home, limit contact with others for six weeks, coordinate any essential travel with state health departments and be prepared to self-isolate if symptoms develop. Reuters reported that officials also said clear communication with schools and families is advisable when monitored people are children, because casual contact is not considered a likely route of spread. (usnews.com) ### Why are senior U.S. officials getting daily updates? Bhattacharya said on May 15 that Kennedy and the White House are receiving “daily detailed updates” and are following the outbreak closely. He made the remarks on a CDC media call, according to Reuters. The CDC has kept the response at a high level since early May. (usnews.com) Its public situation page says the agency is providing technical assistance and guidance to other public health authorities, working with airlines and international partners, and following up with people potentially exposed during travel. ### What has CDC told doctors and health departments to do next? The CDC issued a Health Alert Network advisory on May 8 to clinicians, laboratories and public health departments nationwide. (usnews.com) The notice said healthcare workers should be alert for imported cases and follow CDC recommendations on case identification, testing and laboratory biosafety. CDC’s newsroom page shows the agency has posted hantavirus response updates on May 13, May 14 and May 15. (cdc.gov) The agency’s public guidance says exposed passengers are being monitored by public health officials, and high-risk contacts are being followed during a six-week period after exposure. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2)