According to The Hill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Wednesday that the hantavirus poses a minimal risk to public health. While the CDC is advising American passengers from the affected cruise ship to self-isolate at home, there is no mandatory quarantine, allowing these individuals the option to venture out if they wish.
“Currently, I want to stress that the threat to the general population is low. Our primary focus is on the passengers aboard the ship and the well-being of American communities,” stated David Fitter, who oversees the CDC’s hantavirus response, during a press briefing.
The latest figures reveal that the outbreak of hantavirus has resulted in 11 confirmed cases.
Fitter mentioned that the CDC has already conducted two briefings on Capitol Hill to address the situation.
“Our responsibility now includes ongoing discussions with each passenger regarding their potential exposure and collaborating with partners to ensure proper monitoring,” he continued.
CDC officials further emphasized that the hantavirus is a “known virus” that has been found in the U.S. before. Given the virus’s incubation period, the CDC is maintaining a 42-day monitoring period, which they consider having begun on May 11 and set to end on June 22.
Hantavirus is generally considered to not be transmissible from person-to-person, apart from the Andes virus strain that spread on the MV Hondius. Even then, person-to-person transmission requires prolonged contact with an infected person, such as among members of the same household sharing a bed, intimate partners and medical providers.
When asked about individuals quarantining at home, Fitter said the CDC is currently taking a “conservative approach” that involves “encouraging” people to stay home during the monitoring period. The individuals who were taken to the University of Nebraska have also been “encouraged that they can stay in Nebraska.”
During the briefing, it was noted that adherence would be hard to guarantee, and Fitter was asked about concerns over the people who are monitoring for symptoms at home. They are currently only testing people who are symptomatic.
“Currently, there are no state or federal quarantine orders that have been drawn. We’re working really closely with all contacts to ensure that they understand what is expected for them to perfectly monitor themselves,” said Fitter. “We also want to make sure that they have the right information so that they can understand the situation as best as possible.”
“If they need to do it somewhere else, we will work with them,” Fitter said. When pressed on whether efforts were being made to keep exposed individuals at isolated facilities, he added, “Our goal is to continue to work with them to the best possible place for them.”
Citing individual privacy, CDC officials declined to say where the individuals isolating at home live or how many are currently not in a specialized facility.