U.S. Monitoring More Than 40 People for Hantavirus After Cruise Ship Outbreak

Adm. Brian Christine, assistant health secretary and head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, spoke to reporters on May 11 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center about the response to a hantavirus outbreak that has sickened at least 10 people and killed three aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.

U.S. Government repatriated American passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius and is monitoring others who may have been exposed. Some patients are being quarantined for hantavirus and undergoing testing for the Andes virus at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In the United States, more than 40 people are being monitored for the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus.

Christine is a four-star uniformed officer leading over 5,000 public health professionals who respond to emerging health threats. He is a licensed Alabama physician who specialized in penile implants and men’s health. Christine earned his medical degree from Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta and completed his residency in urology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Christine is a board-certified urologic surgeon with more than 30 years of clinical experience serving patients in Birmingham, Alabama. He worked at the Urology Centers of Alabama, a private practice. Christine is a member of the American Urologic Association, the Sexual Medicine Society of North America, the International Society for Sexual Medicine and the International Continence Society.

President Donald Trump nominated Christine for the position in March 2025. The Senate confirmed Christine in October in a 51-47 vote. All Democrats opposed the nominations. Christine replaced Dr. Rachel Levine at HHS, who served until Trump took office in 2025.