World Health Organization – which the US left under Trump – has been leading the response to the cruise ship outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed it is sending a team to Spain’s Canary Islands, where the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to arrive on Sunday, and US passengers will be evacuated to an airbase in Nebraska. However, experts say the US is unprepared for such a disease threat.
The CDCs limited role in responding to the hantavirus outbreak is raising questions, including whether it now has a diminished role in responding to health scares. Most of the response has been led by the World Health Organization (WHO), of which the US is no longer a member.
The hantavirus outbreak was reported to the WHO on 2 May; a notice issued two days later updated to seven confirmed or suspected cases. Three people had died, one person was critically ill and three others had mild symptoms.
Well yeah, compare this to ebola response if you want to see how clear the institutional rot is. That was also a pretty low risk threat in the US but hospitals were clearly indicated the plan for outbreaks and given training metrics and were designated as local response sites. CDC was on the ground and public health gears moved.