Follow the latest news on the major headlines of the day. The risk of the hantavirus spreading within the general U.S. public following the repatriation of more than a dozen passengers aboard an infected cruise ship is extremely low, U.S. health officials said Monday. "Let me be crystal clear: The risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low," said Admiral Brian Christine, assistant secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at a press conference.