CDC issues first public statement and sets up hantavirus response team
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 7
CDC issues first public statement and sets up hantavirus response team
5 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 7
The move came nearly a month after the first death and a day after the team was formed; 30 cruise passengers, including six Americans, had disembarked in St Helena.
The Americans have returned to the US, with three states monitoring them and no symptoms reported so far, but the CDC statement did not mention them or domestic monitoring efforts.
Public health experts say hantavirus rarely spreads between people, yet they warn the delayed response and sparse communication expose weakened US preparedness after budget cuts and staffing reductions.
A fatal virus reached America. Is a delayed and quiet response the new standard for U.S. public health agencies?
With global health commitments shrinking, how vulnerable is the U.S. to outbreaks originating thousands of miles away?