The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its 24/7 emergency operations center and classified the hantavirus outbreak as a Level 3 incident—the lowest rung on its three-tier activation scale, according to a Thursday evening report. Sources told ABC News that the public health agency has assigned the rare rodent-borne disease its least severe emergency designation, with Level 1 being the most critical.
In a Level 3 response, the CDC may bring in select Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staff to assist disease specialists and their teams in managing an outbreak. The agency did not immediately confirm the classification to The Hill.
The move follows the deaths of three individuals aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which is currently en route to Spain’s Canary Islands with more than 140 passengers and crew still on board. Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s operator, reported Thursday that no other individuals have shown symptoms, though medical personnel continue to monitor everyone on the vessel. The ship is expected to dock at the Tenerife port of Granadilla on Sunday afternoon.
Health officials in Texas, California, Arizona, and Georgia are also tracking residents who returned to the U.S. from the ship for any signs of hantavirus infection. The virus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents, but the strain identified in this outbreak is the only type known to spread between humans, according to the World Health Organization.
The CDC’s EOC is typically activated during public health emergencies to coordinate resources and information. The agency, headquartered in Atlanta and operating under the Department of Health and Human Services, issued its first public statement on the outbreak Wednesday, calling the risk to the U.S. public “extremely low” while vowing to “closely monitor” the situation.
“As the world’s leader in global health security, the US government is using our premier health experts to guide our response to this evolving situation,” the CDC said in that statement. “We are working closely with our international partners to provide technical assistance and guidance to mitigate risk.”
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, who also serves as acting CDC director, emphasized in a Wednesday statement that ensuring the safety of American passengers on the MV Hondius is the U.S. government’s “number one goal.” He wrote on social platform X: “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.” Bhattacharya added, “We will be monitoring the health status and preparing medical support for all of the American passengers on the cruise.”
Earlier this week, President Trump claimed the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship was “under control” despite the three fatalities. The WHO has separately downplayed the pandemic risk, noting that human-to-human transmission of this hantavirus strain remains rare. As the outbreak unfolds, the CDC’s low-level activation signals a measured response rather than a full-scale emergency mobilization.
