Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC: No Current US Cases Of Hantavirus, But 41 People Are Being Monitored
MedPage Today: More Americans Being Monitored For Hantavirus Than Previously Known
The number of Americans being monitored after potential hantavirus exposure has climbed to 41, but there are no current U.S. cases, the CDC said on Thursday. That tally is up from earlier reviews of state health department data, which showed that at least 36 people in 11 states were under monitoring for potential exposures in connection with the cruise ship outbreak linked to 11 cases and three deaths worldwide. (Rudd, 5/14)
AP: Oncologist Cleared From Nebraska Biocontainment Unit After Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak
An oncologist traveling on the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak has been cleared to leave a special biocontainment unit in Nebraska, where he was the lone American placed in isolation after he helped care for fellow passengers who became sick on board. Dr. Stephen Kornfeld of Bend, Oregon, was among more than 120 passengers and crew evacuated from the ship and flown to different countries to enter quarantine. (Eunjung Cha, 5/14)
Becker's Hospital Review: Hantavirus’ 42-Day Problem
The 18 Americans now being monitored following exposure to the andes hantavirus strain aboard a cruise ship may not show symptoms for up to 42 days after exposure — a lengthy window that complicates containment and has direct implications for hospital leaders around planning capacity, resource allocation and who may encounter cases in the weeks ahead. The Andes virus has “a much longer incubation period than we see for a lot of other viruses,” Brendan Jackson, MD, acting director of the CDC’s Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, said in a May 12 press conference at University of Nebraska Medical Center — where 16 passengers are currently being monitored. (Jeffries, 5/14)
Health officials discuss the spread of hantavirus —
The New York Times: Hantavirus Doesn’t Spread Easily, But Officials May Be Downplaying Risks
Close, sustained contact. That, health officials have repeatedly said, is the only way that the Andes hantavirus, which caused an outbreak on a cruise ship and has gripped the world’s attention, spreads among people. “You have to be in close contact with someone who has a lot of symptoms,” Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview on Fox News. But scientists who have studied hantaviruses for decades are far less certain about how the virus might behave. (Mandavilli, 5/14)
CIDRAP: Osterholm On Hantavirus: We’re Missing ‘Main Point Of This Outbreak’
Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), which publishes CIDRAP News, said the media and even some public health officials are missing key elements of the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship. During a Q&A with CIDRAP News, he explained how and why superspreaders are key to understanding the Andes strain of hantavirus, why close proximity is only part of the consideration, and why he doesn’t think this outbreak is the next “big one.” (Soucheray, 5/14)
Fox News: Doctor Shares Why Hantavirus Is Unlikely To Spread Like Coronavirus
Concerns about rising hantavirus cases has Americans reflecting on the coronavirus pandemic. Although COVID-19 began with a foreign strain and spread rapidly around the world, experts say it’s not likely that hantavirus will behave the same way. The rare Andes virus, which was linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, is the only known hantavirus strain that has the capability to spread from person to person, usually through prolonged close contact. (Stabile, 5/14)
CNN: Penile Implant Specialist With History Of Far-Right Comments Led Hantavirus Presser
As the Trump administration sought to reassure Americans this week that a hantavirus outbreak posed little risk to the public, Dr. Brian Christine, one of the top public health officials in charge of infectious disease policy, stood before reporters in Nebraska promising a response “grounded in science” and “grounded in transparency.” (Kaczynskl, 5/15)
Also —
AP: 6 People From Hantavirus-Hit Ship Arrive In Australian Quarantine
Six passengers from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak arrived Friday in Australia for a quarantine expected to last at least three weeks. The Gulfstream long-range business jet carrying them from the Netherlands landed at RAAF Base Pearce outside the Western Australia state capital, Perth. The passengers, crew and a doctor who accompanied them were taken by bus to the nearby Bullsbrook quarantine facility. Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said the government would implement one of world’s strongest quarantine responses to the outbreak. (McGuirk, 5/15)
