Concern over Hantavirus? Americans are more at risk of dying from a lightning strike.

Hantavirus Concerns: A Closer Look at the Numbers

With the media buzzing about hantavirus and the potential for a new pandemic, Liz Wheeler, a host at Blaze TV, is urging people to take a moment to reflect on the actual statistics.

Wheeler points out that while the virus can be deadly for those who contract it, the likelihood of getting hantavirus remains extremely low, especially when compared to the daily risks that often go unnoticed.

“The odds of dying from hantavirus are about 1 in 30 to 35 million,” she states. “To put that into perspective, you’re more likely to die from a lightning strike, which has a probability of 1 in 15 to 20 million.”

She further elaborates on other risks: “For instance, the chance of dying in a car accident stands at 1 in 8 to 9,000, while the chances related to medical errors range from 1 in 1,000 to 1,400. In fact, medical errors rank as the third leading cause of death in the U.S., right after heart disease and cancer.”

Wheeler asserts that anyone who instills fear about hantavirus is misrepresenting the situation. “If someone emphasizes the 1 in 30 to 35 million odds without mentioning that around 350,000 people die each year from medical errors, that’s misleading.”

Though hantavirus does have a high mortality rate, the actual number of cases in the U.S. is relatively small. According to Wheeler, there are about 30 cases annually, leading to around 8 to 12 deaths—a case fatality rate between 35 and 38 percent, which, she admits, is alarming.

Most hantavirus infections historically occur in specific locations, with a staggering 94% of cases reported west of the Mississippi River. “These incidents often happen during spring cleaning when people are clearing out sheds contaminated with deer mouse droppings,” she explains.

The recent case of a patient identified on a cruise ship raised eyebrows as well. “Before boarding, he had visited a landfill littered with rodent droppings. Even though locals avoided that area for health reasons, he chose to go birdwatching there,” Wheeler recounts. “His decisions had consequences—not just for him, but for his loved ones, too.”

Despite some rumors about a new strain being responsible, Wheeler clarifies, “It’s not a new strain. Scientific analysis confirms it closely resembles the hantavirus strain linked to an outbreak in Argentina in 2018.”