A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius has now claimed three lives. What makes this outbreak especially alarming is that health officials have confirmed it involves a rare strain capable of spreading from person to person — unlike most hantavirus strains, which only spread through contact with infected rodents.

At least 40 passengers disembarked at the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena before authorities fully grasped the scale of the outbreak. One passenger's wife flew from St. Helena to South Africa on a commercial flight and died after collapsing at a Johannesburg airport. A man in Switzerland tested positive after also disembarking at St. Helena and flying home. Authorities in multiple countries are now racing to trace contacts.

The United States has not been named among affected countries — yet. But in a world of commercial air travel, a human-to-human transmissible virus with a confirmed death toll does not stay contained for long. The question is not whether the U.S. needs to be ready. The question is whether it is.

At a moment when the country needs world-class public health leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Americans deserve an HHS Secretary with deep expertise in infectious disease, outbreak response, and public health infrastructure — not someone whose record raises serious doubts about their commitment to science-based decision-making.

Sign this petition to demand that the U.S. government immediately activate contact tracing protocols for any passengers or crew with U.S. ties, brief the public on preparedness steps, and appoint qualified, science-driven leadership at HHS to ensure America is never caught flat-footed by the next outbreak.