CDC Takes Back Seat as Hantavirus Tests US Health Response (1)

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.

“The CDC should have been right on top of this,” said Lawrence Gostin, a ...