The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to formally wind down its hantavirus response, nearly two months after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead, the Wall Street Journal has reported, quoting acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya.
"Protecting Americans is our highest responsibility. CDC’s hantavirus response officially concludes June 24 2026," Bhattacharya said in a statement, according to the report on Wednesday.
The US Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center said on Monday all 18 US-resident passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius have returned to their home states after completing monitoring at its National Quarantine Unit.
Hantaviruses are a group of rodent-borne viruses that can cause severe illness in humans. Most hantavirus strains are associated with specific rodent species and do not spread between people.
The recent outbreak was linked to passengers aboard a cruise voyage, prompting health monitoring and containment measures after several infections were identified during and shortly after the trip.
The virus drew international attention after a 70-year-old Dutch passenger became ill on April 6 aboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, five days after the vessel departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina.
