Jay Bhattacharya is in the news as NIH director rumors swirl amid leadership gaps in U.S. public health. He’s an American health economist, trained as a physician, born 1968.
Health authorities have identified at least 13 hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, including three deaths. Passengers and crew have been evacuated to multiple countries and are being quarantined and closely monitored; more than 600 contacts in about 30 countries have been traced and are under follow-up as testing and isolation continue.