Experts criticize CDC's limited role as hantavirus outbreak spreads on cruise ship

Health officials are dealing with a hantavirus outbreak affecting passengers on a cruise ship, and the World Health Organization has taken the lead in coordinating the response. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been noted for its unusually low profile in the effort.

Public health scholars said the CDC's absence was unprecedented, with one expert noting he had never seen the agency so out of the picture during a cross-border health event.

President Donald Trump told reporters that the situation was under good control, but analysts pointed out that hantavirus does not spread easily, which may be why the outbreak has not escalated.

Late on Friday the CDC announced it was sending a team to the Canary Islands, where the ship was expected to dock, to meet American travelers on board.