Is hantavirus the next COVID? WHO director-general flags key pointers
Published on: May 12, 2026, 7:18 a.m. | Source: Times of India
News about a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has stirred up plenty of unease, with quarantined passengers, urgent evacuations, and international alerts bringing back unsettling memories of the early days of COVID-19. As countries rushed to track down passengers scattered across the globe and health officials scrambled to contain the outbreak in Spain’s Canary Islands, it’s no wonder people started asking: Are we staring down another pandemic?So far, this outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged expedition vessel has already led to several deaths and confirmed hantavirus infections, all connected to the Andes strain, which is a rare type that can actually spread (though only a little) from person to person. That’s triggered quarantines in places like the US, Spain, France, and the Netherlands, and the World Health Organization has stepped in to help governments keep tabs on everyone who left the ship.Even with all the dramatic headlines and obvious echoes of COVID, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has made his stance clear: “This is not another COVID-19.” Talking to CBS News, he stressed that there’s no reason for the general public to panic.
