The risk to the public from an illness called the hantavirus is low, a U.S. official said on May 11.
“Let me be crystal clear: the risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low,” Dr. Brian Christine, assistant secretary for health and head of the U.S. Public Health Service, told reporters during a briefing in Omaha, Nebraska.
“The Andes variant of this virus does not spread easily, and it requires prolonged close contact with someone who is already symptomatic.”
That primarily involves contact with bodily fluids, such as saliva, or being within roughly six feet for 15 minutes cumulatively….