The State Department is coordinating the response to directly contact passengers.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), responded to concerns regarding the spread of hantavirus from a cruise ship that had traveled to Antarctica and is headed toward the Canary Islands. A Dutch couple and a German national who were aboard the ship have died, and three others were evacuated.
“Our hearts go out to the passengers aboard the cruise ship M/V Hondius and their families during this difficult time,” Dr. Bhattacharya stated. “Our CDC team began coordinating with domestic and international partners as soon as we were notified of a hantavirus situation.”
“Hantavirus is not spread by people without symptoms, transmission requires close contact, and the risk to the American public is very low,” Acting CDC Director Bhattacharya continued later. “CDC has the world’s leading experts on hantavirus and is lending its technical expertise when coordinating with interagency partners, state health offices, and international authorities on response and repatriation planning.”
The CDC reported that the State Department is “leading a coordinated, whole-of-government response including direct contact with passengers, diplomatic coordination, and engagement with domestic and international health authorities.” Director Bhattacharya said that the CDC is “monitoring the health status and preparing medical support” for the seventeen Americans who were aboard the cruise ship.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For God’s healing for those who are ill and His protection for those who have been exposed.
- For wisdom for State and Health Department officials as they reach out to Americans who were on board the cruise ship.
- For discernment for Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya as they respond to the hantavirus.
Sources: The Hill, Townhall, MSN
