US public health agency concludes hantavirus response as outbreak eases

The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced the end of the monitoring period for the virus.The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ended its response to the hantavirus outbreak linked ⁠to a cruise ship, nearly two months after the virus killed three people.The Wall Street Journal first reported the development on Wednesday, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) later confirmed its efforts had reached a “successful conclusion”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ebola, hantavirus: Is the world prepared for the next pandemic?list 2 of 3Hantavirus-hit cruise ship docks in the Netherlandslist 3 of 3WHO confirms 10 global hantavirus cases, Hondius crew remain symptom-freeend of list“No sustained transmission of hantavirus occurred in the United States, and the monitoring period has concluded with no individuals remaining under observation,” Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy ‌Jr said in a statement.The outbreak involved the Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain that typically circulates in Argentina and Chile. The cruise ship set off from Argentina on April 1.There were 18 US residents on board the MV Hondius in the Atlantic when the outbreak began.All US citizens potentially exposed to hantavirus while on board finished their 42-day monitoring period on Sunday.The residents have since returned to their home states after completing monitoring at the National Quarantine Unit, ⁠according to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.No hantavirus cases were reported in the US. The CDC ⁠has repeatedly said the risk to the US public from the virus remains extremely low.A joint response by the CDC and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) collaborated with foreign governments, monitoring services and the healthcare system to address the outbreak, according to a statement by the HHS.