After the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, millions of people around the world are still horrified and anxious when it comes to health and viruses. The trauma that remains from the pandemic and how much it affected our lives is still real and alive. Now, with another virus popping up across the globe, many around the world are bracing themselves for the possibility of another pandemic.
The Orthohantavirus, better known as the Hantavirus, has already claimed three lives. It is primarily carried to humans through rodent species. The horrifying part of this virus is that it’s airborne, meaning breathing in the air could lead to contracting it. Inhaling the Hantavirus particles could come from rodent droppings, urine, saliva, or direct contact with a contaminated rodent. In addition, there is no known cure for it.
This virus has been rediscovered as of May 2026 on the MV Hondius cruise ship. A Dutch couple allegedly caught the virus after bird watching in Argentina. When they found out that they were contaminated, it was too late. They both died soon after.
This recent rediscovery is not the first case of the Hantavirus. The initial discovery was back in 1951 during the Korean War. Rather than being called the Hantavirus, it was called the Hantaan Virus, named after the Hantan river. More than 3,000 cases of this virus had been reported amongst the UN troops.
Like COVID-19, many anticipate that the virus is bound to take more lives unless a plan gets implemented. The fatality rate of COVID was 5.9% at its peak and dropped to 0.07% in Jan. of 2022. Although not many people have fallen victim to the virus so far, the fatality rate is still 35%-50%.
The passengers on the cruise ship are from various countries, with many having to quarantine before returning home. Three out of the approximate 150 passengers on the cruise ship are Americans and one passenger, Jake Rosemarin, is from New York State. He has made several posts about his quarantine and shared his experiences on the ship to social media.
Many involved in the media have relayed that there is a concern of the virus turning into a full blown pandemic, like COVID-19.
Although some are not completely afraid, one student shared, “My main concern is not getting a graduation again. We just got used to going back to normal life…I’m aware of previous cases of the Hantavirus before this year.”
“This isn’t the first time the Hantavirus has happened…although it did kill people in the past which is very unfortunate, I don’t think there’s a high chance of it becoming widespread,” they added.
There are people who believe that this virus will not become a global issue like COVID-19 did and some have thought of conspiracy theories against it, stating that it may be a distraction from other global issues. According to NBC News, 27 cruise ship workers were allegedly caught engaging in child pornography, including Disney workers. This allegedly happened between April 23 to April 27, approximately five to nine days apart from the Hantavirus being rediscovered.
There is nothing fully confirmed yet about the Hantavirus other than accepting the fact that lives were taken too early. Hopefully, there are no more lives tragically taken from this virus.
