Authorities have evacuated passengers and crew from the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak, with those disembarked being isolated in their home countries to prevent further spread of the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers from the boat, but the CDC and WHO were forced to address fears of another COVID-like pandemic.
Centers for Disease Control Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya explained why the MV Hondius outbreak should not concern locals, stating, 'This is not COVID, Jake, and we don't want to treat it like COVID.'
Bhattacharya emphasized that existing Hantavirus containment procedures have already proven effective in past incidents and that the current outbreak does not resemble the early stages of COVID-19.
He noted that Hantavirus remains difficult to spread between humans, especially when infected individuals are asymptomatic, and that the transmission risk remains low.
The CDC is working with health officials to monitor and contain the outbreak, with 17 American passengers expected to return to the US in the coming days for medical assessments and monitoring.
