Opinion: Andes hantavirus outbreak exposes gaps in U.S. pandemic preparedness infrastructure

An opinion piece by a former Ebola patient examines the Andes hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship as a case study in pandemic preparedness. The author highlights successful elements—the National Special Pathogen System of Care, international genomic surveillance, and WHO coordination—but emphasizes how recent dismantling of U.S. disease surveillance infrastructure has degraded response capabilities. USAID global health programs, CDC staffing, and research funding have been cut significantly. The CDC lacked a permanent director for 15 of 17 months and now requires approval to coordinate with the WHO, creating operational delays. The author argues for restoring the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, enabling CDC-WHO collaboration without political friction, and rebuilding global surveillance networks that historically detect outbreaks at their source.