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The CDC has released two back-to-back Health Alert Network notices regarding a hantavirus (Andes virus) outbreak linked to a cruise ship in the Atlantic. As of May 18, 2026, American passengers from the ship have been moved to a specialized medical center in Nebraska. The Andes virus is the sole hantavirus confirmed to transmit between individuals and has the potential to cause significant lung harm and fatalities. The CDC is working alongside state health agencies, clinical labs, and international collaborators to keep an eye on all US air travel connections of confirmed cases. Officials assert that the public's risk is currently very low, yet maintaining caution is crucial.
Transcript
00:00The CDC has issued back-to-back Health Alert Network advisories.
00:04And American passengers are now in a specialized Nebraska facility.
00:08On May 2, a cruise ship in the Atlantic reported a cluster of severe respiratory illness among passengers and crew.
00:15The cause? Andes virus, a rare type of hantavirus,
00:19and the only hantavirus on Earth known to spread from person to person.
00:24The CDC dispatched a team to the Canary Islands, Spain, where the ship docked.
00:30U.S. passengers were then repatriated to a specialized medical facility in Nebraska,
00:35equipped to handle high-risk infectious cases.
00:38Hantavirus is not something to dismiss.
00:40It attacks the lungs, causes severe fluid buildup, and can be fatal even in previously healthy adults.
00:47As of May 18, no confirmed Andes virus cases have been reported inside the United States.
00:53But the CDC is actively monitoring state health departments, clinical laboratories,
00:58and everyone who shared air travel with confirmed patients.
01:02Officials say the risk to the American public is extremely low.
01:06But two consecutive Health Alert Network advisories tell a different story about how seriously the CDC is watching this outbreak.
01:13If you traveled on this cruise, or came into contact with someone who did contact your state health department immediately,
01:19or came into contact with someone who did contact your state health department immediately,
01:20or came into contact with someone who did contact your state health department immediately.
01:20If you traveled on this cruise, or came into contact with someone who did contact your state health department,
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