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What are the origins of hantavirus? How the virus tied to the cruise ship outbreak came to be.

The deadly hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship was caused by the Andes virus, the only known strain to spread from person to person. Rodents are known to carry hantavirus, but what's the disease's origin story? Ramy Inocencio explains.

Published May 15, 2026, 3:34 PM
Updated May 15, 2026, 3:53 PM3.1K
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What are the origins of hantavirus? How the virus tied to the cruise ship outbreak came to be.

The deadly hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship was caused by the Andes virus, the only known strain to spread from person to person. Rodents are known to carry hantavirus, but what's the disease's origin story? Ramy Inocencio explains.

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