Media Reactions to Hantavirus Outbreak

After the widespread attention given to the coronavirus, traditional media seems to have struggled to generate the same level of alarm regarding the monkeypox virus, particularly as it affected gay men. This shift likely stems from an urge to find new health crises, especially following the US’s formal disavowal of the World Health Organization. In light of this, reports have emerged about various health issues, including a recent hantavirus outbreak that affected passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship carrying 147 people from South America to the Canary Islands.

Many articles were rapidly produced, some of which presented speculative theories about the virus’s origins, suggesting, for instance, that it may have been engineered in a lab. This narrative has been criticized for neglecting discussions about recent gain-of-function experiments involving hantaviruses. Headlines have ranged widely, including:

• “Is hantavirus the next coronavirus? Is the U.S. response appropriate?” – NPR
• “Why do hantaviruses give us a ‘down feeling’ despite experts’ reassurances?” – Canadian National Media
• “I’m worried that the rat virus has spread to seven countries.” – The Telegraph
• “Could human-transmitted hantaviruses pose the next pandemic threat?” – The Week
• “Hantavirus: Many unknowns surrounding the ‘unprecedented and alarming’ outbreak” – Le Monde

Despite these sensational narratives, many experts agree that a hantavirus outbreak, let alone a pandemic, is quite unlikely. In fact, a CNN article urged the media to promote “calm publicity” about hantavirus to avoid causing undue anxiety reminiscent of the initial coronavirus outbreak.

A recent paper published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases noted that, while the variant suspected of infecting MV Hondius can lead to serious illness, such outbreaks are infrequent and typically not global concerns. Between 1993 and 2023, only 890 hantavirus infections were logged in the United States, with a 35% mortality rate among those cases.

When it infects humans, hantavirus can lead to two main diseases: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, affecting the kidneys, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which targets the lungs. The Andean strain of hantavirus involved in this outbreak is notable because, while most strains are transmitted from rodents to humans, this one is reported, though not yet conclusively proven, to be capable of human-to-human transmission.

So far, the outbreak on the cruise ship has resulted in three fatalities, marking an unprecedented incident in terms of suspected mass transmission in South America. For context, between November 2018 and February 2019, Chubut province in Argentina experienced an epidemic, confirming 34 infections with 11 deaths attributed to human transmission.

Still, lingering uncertainties about the origins and behaviors of the virus leave many questions about both the current situation and media coverage. Some speculate that there are elements within the scientific community that may not be fully transparent about the outbreak, much like past situations involving SARS-COV-2. Joseph Allen, a professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, emphasized the need for public health officials to communicate more honestly about the virus’s spreading mechanisms, stating that being upfront could help mitigate misinformation and public panic.