CDC Takes a Back Seat as Hantavirus Outbreak Tests US Public Health Leadership

As a deadly hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius generated a surge of global headlines for the past week, public health experts noticed one organization was oddly quiet: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency, once considered a public health crown jewel, is typically among the first on the scene when a virus poses a threat, putting out alerts and coordinating closely with the World Health Organization. But as the hantavirus outbreak worsened, the CDC wasn’t playing its usual leadership role.