CDC is responding to a deadly outbreak of Andes virus — a type of hantavirus — among passengers and crew of a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. No cases of Andes virus have been confirmed in the United States as a result of this outbreak. CDC states that the risk of a pandemic caused by this outbreak and the overall risk to the American public and travelers is extremely low, though the situation is evolving rapidly. CDC repatriated 18 passengers on May 10; they are currently at the Nebraska Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for a 42-day monitoring period. Seven passengers who returned early are being monitored at home by state and local health officials.
Gobble's Take: CDC is clear: extremely low risk to the public, active monitoring underway, and the situation continues to change.
Source: CDC
WHO's latest Disease Outbreak News update puts the cruise-ship cluster at eight cases — six laboratory-confirmed as Andes virus — and three deaths. Since the previous update on May 4, three suspected cases were confirmed and one additional confirmed case was reported. WHO says all National IHR Focal Points have been informed and are supporting international contact tracing. The global-population risk remains low; the risk for passengers and crew still on the ship is considered moderate.
Gobble's Take: The case count is climbing. The risk framing is not.
Source: World Health Organization
CDC's Health Alert Network advisory tells clinicians and health departments to be aware of a new cluster of hantavirus cases caused by Andes virus. The advisory notes that hantavirus disease can be severe and fatal — but that broad spread to the United States is considered extremely unlikely at this time. WHO was notified on May 2 of a severe acute respiratory illness cluster among cruise-ship passengers and crew in the Atlantic Ocean, including two deaths and one critically ill passenger. CDC is issuing guidance on case identification, testing, and biosafety for U.S. health departments, clinical laboratories, and healthcare workers.
Gobble's Take: A health advisory is not a fire alarm — it's the part where everyone gets their instructions before they need them.
Source: CDC
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