CDC press-briefing transcript (May 13): hantavirus is 'a known pathogen,' US risk 'low,' agency response defended after STAT critique

CDC Newsroom (May 13 official transcript): David Fitter, the CDC's incident manager for the hantavirus response, said at the May 13 press briefing that 'hantavirus is a known pathogen' and that 'the risk to the general public is low.' Fitter pushed back on outside criticism that the CDC had been slow to engage publicly, saying the agency had been 'engaged at every step' from the May 2 WHO notification through the May 11 repatriation flight to Offutt and the May 13 announcement that the symptomatic Emory patient and the previously-positive UNMC patient had both tested negative on retest. CDC also confirmed the inconclusive UNMC patient is being re-tested with results expected within days, and that no U.S. cases of Andes hantavirus are currently confirmed.

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Author

CDC

Disease

hantavirus