COVID-19 expert says hantavirus won't be the next pandemic
Summary
A health expert who led the U.S. response to COVID-19 says the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship will not become a global pandemic. He explains that hantavirus does not spread easily between people and expects the outbreak to end soon.Key Facts
- The hantavirus outbreak is happening on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which left Argentina in April 2026.
- Three people on the ship have died from hantavirus, and more cases are being confirmed.
- The virus involved is the Andes strain, which can spread from person to person but requires long, close contact.
- Hantavirus symptoms usually appear 1 to 8 weeks after exposure and include fever, tiredness, and muscle pain.
- Less than 900 hantavirus cases have been reported in the U.S. since 1993, showing how rare it is.
- The virus spreads only through people showing symptoms, unlike COVID-19, which can spread without symptoms.
- Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, says hantavirus will not cause a pandemic like COVID-19 did.
- The expert expects the current hantavirus outbreak to burn out within weeks or months.
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