US Ends 42-Day Hantavirus Response With 0 Cases as Quarantine Questions Persist
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 24
US Ends 42-Day Hantavirus Response With 0 Cases as Quarantine Questions Persist
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 24
Summary
A 42-day monitoring period for passengers from the MV Hondius ended June 21 with no hantavirus cases among American travelers, closing the US response to the cruise-ship outbreak.
HHS announced the end only on June 24 through a press release dated June 23, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and acting CDC chief Jay Bhattacharya crediting federal action for preventing US transmission.
CDC officials then held a brief press conference but did not directly answer questions about the response, even as they described it as a success.
Quarantine orders remain the main unresolved issue: critics say the Trump administration imposed measures harsher than those used in Chile and Argentina, where Andes virus is endemic, and stricter than expert and CDC recommendations.