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CDC spells out next steps after Americans exposed to hantavirus on cruise ship
The U.S. government is moving to evacuate American passengers from a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with plans to transport them to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring, federal health officials said Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the American public remains extremely low as officials move forward with a medical repatriation flight for passengers aboard the M/V Hondius.
President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that the situation appears to be under control, pointing to the virus being difficult to transmit.
“We have very good people looking at it. It seems to be okay. They know the virus very well. They’ve worked with it for a long time. They know it very well. Not easy to pass on. So we hope that’s true,” he said.
DR MARC SIEGEL: HANTAVIRUS CRUISE OUTBREAK IS ALARMING BUT FEAR IS SPREADING FASTER THAN FACTS
“We seem to have things under very good control. They know that virus very well. It’s been around a long time. Not easily transferable, unlike COVID. But we’ll see. We have very good people studying it very closely.”
The outbreak has escalated over several weeks, beginning with a passenger who became sick in early April and later resulting in at least three deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
Cases are now reported across multiple countries after passengers disembarked in Africa and Europe, prompting health officials to trace contacts globally.
Authorities in Cape Verde at one point blocked passengers from leaving the ship, underscoring concerns about containment.
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Hantavirus is a rare but potentially deadly disease typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, according to the CDC. While most strains do not spread between people, health officials say the Andes virus — identified in some cases linked to the cruise ship — is the only known strain capable of limited person-to-person transmission.
The vessel is expected to dock in Spain’s Canary Islands, where international teams are coordinating next steps for passengers and crew.
A CDC team has been deployed to the Canary Islands to assess potential exposure among American passengers and determine monitoring needs.
Returning passengers are expected to be flown on a U.S. government medical repatriation flight to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska.
They will then be transported to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for further monitoring.
Additional CDC personnel will be stationed at Offutt Air Force Base to support health assessments.
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Trump bypasses media gatekeepers as Gov Sanders reveals legacy outlets are losing their grip
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark., said the mainstream media’s coverage of President Donald Trump reflects what she described as a loss of control in the industry.
Appearing on “The Riley Gaines Show” Tuesday, the former White House press secretary argued the media’s criticism of Trump stems from his ability to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach the public directly.
“That’s one of the things they hated the most is that he didn’t need them,” Sanders said.
“He was able to talk directly to the American people without having to use the media in a way that everybody who had come before him had to,” she added.
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The president has consistently used social media sites to share his thoughts with the public. Trump later created his own platform, Truth Social, after he was banned from Twitter prior to its acquisition by Elon Musk.
“This was somebody who decided that he wasn’t just [going to] stick with the traditional types of media,” Sanders said. “And if they were [going to] continue to attack him relentlessly, which they have done, he would simply go around them.”
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Trump has routinely tapped nontraditional media sources to share his message. During his 2024 presidential run, he turned to major podcasts, including “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von,” to reach a larger audience, specifically younger voters.
“He has proven that he can still be successful. He can still get his message out without having to use them as the only tool to do so,” Sanders added.
Trump has continued to use alternative media sources to communicate with the public, frequently posting updates on the conflict with Iran on Truth Social.
The White House also revamped the briefing room, adding a “new media” seat to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s briefings. The seat rotates among new media voices who produce content but are not typically represented by legacy outlets.
Trump, however, continues to have an adversarial relationship with several traditional news outlets. Last week, he criticized The New York Times and CNN for their coverage of the Iran conflict.
“Think of it — we militarily decapitated the country, and every day I read about how well they’re doing militarily. They have nothing left. They’re done,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“And yet, I read in The New York Times, I see on stupid CNN, which I only watch because you have to watch a little bit of the enemy, so I watch it for a very short period,” he continued.
“And if you see CNN, you’d think they’re winning the war. If you read The New York Times, it’s actually seditious, in my opinion. You read The New York Times, you actually think they’re winning the war… it’s a terrible thing.”
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