90-Second Read: CDC gives update on deadly Hantavirus outbreak linked to cruise ship

Health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update May 13 on the deadly Hantavirus outbreak linked to a polar cruise ship, saying the risk to the general public remains low. During a press conference, the CDC said that officials continue to monitor passengers linked to the Hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship and continue to track possible exposures across the United States. An Oregon doctor on the cruise told CNN he tested positive for Hantavirus after helping care for other sick passengers.

The outbreak is believed to have begun with a Dutch couple who became sick during the trip after they were exposed to the rodent-borne Andes Hantavirus while on a birdwatching excursion in Argentina. The CDC said more than 100 staff members are actively working on the outbreak, including monitoring and tracking the whereabouts of passengers who left the cruise before the outbreak was detected and may have shared flights with the public. Fitter said that unlike COVID-19, which was an unknown virus that easily spread, the Hantavirus is known and doesn't spread easily.

Hantavirus is rare in the United States, but when infections do occur, the most commonly reported form is Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which is primarily associated with the deer mouse. There was no indication the outbreak is turning into a larger global health threat, according to the World Health Organization. The Andes virus, the type of Hantavirus responsible for the recent illnesses, is the only Hantavirus known to be transmitted among people.