The US says the risk of hantavirus to the public is “very, very low”

The Undersecretary of Health of the United States, Brian Christine, indicated this Monday that the risk of hantavirus for the general public is “very, very low”, since its spread requires “close and prolonged” contact with a person who already presents symptoms of the virus.

“Let me be absolutely clear: the risk of hantavirus for the general public remains very, very low. The Andes variant of this virus is not easily transmitted and requires close and prolonged contact with a person who already has symptoms,” said the Undersecretary of Health at a press conference from Nebraska, where 16 of the 18 passengers who were on the cruise ship affected by the outbreak and whose repatriation has been managed from the island of Tenerife have arrived.

In any case, Christine has stressed that the US authorities take the situation “very seriously from the beginning.” “We have approached it very seriously throughout the Department of Health and Human Services and, in particular, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” he explained.

All citizens who have returned to the United States are being monitored in CDC medical units, of the 16 from Nebraska one has tested positive, although he is asymptomatic, while two other travelers have been transferred to Atlanta for “further evaluations and care”, one of the patients presents symptoms.

For his part, the governor of Nebraska, Jim Pillen, has stressed that all residents of the state “can be assured that there is a solid plan” to safely care for people who are in the quarantine modules of the University of Nebraska.

“We are working diligently to ensure that no one leaves the facility in an unsafe manner or at an inappropriate time; that no one who poses a risk to public health leaves through the front door onto the streets of Omaha or beyond,” the governor said.