90-Second Read: CDC boosts staff monitoring Hantavirus but says public health risk remains low

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the public risk of a Hantavirus outbreak remains low as health officials continue monitoring 41 Americans for symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has increased the number of staff dedicated to tracking the threat of a Hantavirus outbreak as health officials maintain the risk to the general public remains low. Some former CDC staff and other public health officials have criticized the Trump administration for waiting before issuing a Health Alert Network advisory about the outbreak.

The CDC is monitoring 41 Americans for symptoms of Hantavirus, the rare disease that spread among passengers on a on a cruise ship. Since the outbreak on the cruise ship, the CDC has boosted its Hantavirus team from three people to about 100, according to data reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Although Hantavirus researchers acknowledge the virus is not highly contagious, some told the New York Times public guidance may be downplaying nuances of transmission observed during past outbreaks in Argentina and unknown factors in human-to-human transmission.

The CDC is still treating the Hantavirus response as a Level 3 emergency, the agency's lowest level of activation typically used for localized outbreaks and surveillance. A swift action across federal, state, and local public health. The federal agency maintains the risk to the public is low.