US public health agency concludes hantavirus response as outbreak eases
Summary
The CDC has ended its response to a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, after nearly two months and no cases reported in the US. US residents exposed to the virus completed monitoring and returned home, and officials said the risk to the public remains very low.Key Facts
- The hantavirus outbreak involved the Andes virus, rare and usually found in Argentina and Chile.
- The cruise ship MV Hondius left Argentina on April 1 with 18 US residents aboard.
- Three people died from the virus, but none of the US residents got infected.
- All exposed US residents finished a 42-day health monitoring period and have returned home.
- The CDC worked with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and foreign governments on the response.
- The Andes virus can spread between people through close contact, unlike most hantaviruses that spread from rodents.
- CDC scientists investigated the outbreak in Argentina by testing rodents along the cruise route, but initial tests did not find the source.
- Health officials say there was no ongoing spread of hantavirus in the US during this event.
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