Hantavirus Outbreak Reminds Students of COVID-19

By Sathvika Chadalawada ’29

In late April, a hantavirus outbreak aboard a Dutch cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean made international news. The outbreak was centered on the MV Hondius, a Dutch expedition ship. According to CNN, eleven cases have been confirmed or identified as probable, including three deaths. Health officials traced the outbreak to a Dutch birdwatcher who visited a landfill before boarding the ship. He and his wife both died from the infection. The strain was identified as the Andes virus, the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person.

Hantavirus itself is not new, typically spreading through contact with infected rodents and their droppings, and is most common in rural settings. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2025, eight countries in the Americas reported 229 cases and fifty-nine deaths. Cases have been rising in Argentina in recent years due to climate change and the expansion of human activity in rodent habitats.

As reported by CNN, in the United States, forty-one people across sixteen states are being monitored at facilities including the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Emory University in Atlanta. As per the WHO, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed no sign of a larger outbreak developing, though he cautioned that the virus's incubation period of up to six weeks means additional cases could still emerge. Despite these reassurances, the impact of the virus extends beyond the medical facilities.

For Milton students, the Hantavirus outbreak has landed with a familiar weight. Megan Pang ’28 and Eve Kong ’28 both shared that the coverage has brought back memories of early-stage COVID: the confusion, the uncertainty, and the fear that came with it. Kong, who has been part of the Milton community since the fourth grade, noted that how students handled COVID seemed to depend on age, stating that “upper schoolers were much calmer about it…They were more aware of what was actually going on.”

Her observation carries into how Milton students are currently processing the hantavirus news. “Now that we've actually been through a COVID scare, I think people are much more desensitized,” Pang said. “When people first heard of the pandemic, they thought plague. But now it's different.” Having already lived through a global public health emergency, some students said they now feel better equipped to follow a developing situation without overreacting.

Still, some concerns remain. Kong raised questions about whether international systems were ready for a larger outbreak of Hantavirus. “I think it would be nice to have a solution for international boarders and more awareness of what's happening,” she said, “even if it turns out to be a scare.” Moreover, Pang added that preparation matters regardless of how the situation unfolds. “Even if this might not turn into anything, I think they should start making sure everyone has a place to go just in case,” she said.

For Milton students, this distinction matters. While the reflexive anxiety that defined early 2020 remains, students have gained experience from the past pandemic. Students who watched a real pandemic unfold from their Zoom screens now have a clearer sense of what a managed situation looks like versus an uncontrolled one. As the outbreak continues, Milton students say they are watching closely and waiting to know more.