Two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doctors said Wednesday that the risk to the American public from a deadly hantavirus outbreak remains low and that the center is “involved every step of the way.”
In a media briefing, they described the agency’s response, which has been criticized by some infectious disease and public health experts as taking a backseat to the World Health Organization and other groups.
“I want to start by saying that hantaviruses are known pathogens,” said David Fitter, CDC’s hantavirus response incident manager. “We would like to emphasize that the risk to the general public is low at this time. Our top priority is the passengers and American community aboard the ship.”
Fitter went on to elaborate on how CDC responded, saying that since the early stages of this outbreak, CDC has worked closely with state and public health officials, federal partners, and international health partners, including affected countries.
“CDC immediately began an emergency response in Atlanta, and more than 100 staff members are actively working on this response. Operationally, we are involved every step of the way,” he said.
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These measures included providing information to American passengers aboard a ship heading from Argentina to Antarctica and sending a CDC team to the Canary Islands, whose members spoke individually with each American citizen about possible exposure. Two team members flew back with the passengers, some of whom went to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
“So far, our response has followed a strategy for rapid action across federal, state, and local public health. The systems and partnerships we have built exist for situations like this exactly,” Fitter said. “That work is not always visible, including sharing information with state and local health officials and coordinating guidance and oversight. But it never stops. It is planned and coordinated. It is essential to keeping our communities safe.”
In Nebraska, CDC teams are conducting health screenings on each passenger, asking about exposure to confirmed cases, as well as monitoring body temperature, screening for symptoms, and assessing general health. Due to the long incubation period of the virus, surveillance will begin on Monday and last for 42 days.
“Our team is working around the clock to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved,” said Nebraska CDC team leader and medical epidemiologist Brendan Jackson.
Results are still awaited for the passenger who tested mildly positive before arriving in Nebraska. The CDC team wanted to retest there.
Other passengers who did not test positive are also being monitored at home. Doctors declined to say where they were or how many there were, citing privacy concerns.
“We’re doing everything that’s in place to ensure that American communities remain safe and healthy, and what we really want to do is make sure we’re communicating this as well,” Fitter said. “And we’ll continue to keep the United States updated on everything we’re doing in a variety of ways, through our website and other efforts like this.”
