Hawaii doctor: Hantavirus ‘is not the next pandemic’

News admin May 15, 2026 0 Comments

Hawaii doctor: Hantavirus ‘is not the next pandemic’

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – When word of three fatalities linked to a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship made headlines, many questions arose about how the virus spreads.

One medical expert says this is different from COVID-19.

“We know about it, but it’s not something to worry about. This is not the next pandemic,” said Dr. Scott Miscovich, an infectious disease expert.

Miscovich explained that Hantavirus, originating from infected rodents, isn’t a new disease. He said it’s more difficult to catch than COVID, and the virus also doesn’t mutate as frequently to create wild new variants.

While human-to-human transmission has been documented with the Andes strain, cases have remained relatively low.

“In the Americas, we’ve had over the last 15 years or so, I think it’s 893 cases. In Europe, annually, is anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 cases,” Dr. Miscovich said. “This has been around a long time. If it was going to take off, it had every opportunity to do so.”

Many Hawaii residents, like Waialua resident Theresa Widmer, weren’t too concerned about Hantavirus and are listening closely to medical experts.

“Until I see numbers changing, I’m just being conservative and watching,” she said.

When Maui resident Deborah Waltrip was asked if she was concerned, she said no, adding, “Because you have to have super close contact. And I don’t.”

Kailua’s Jamie Pang was a bit worried, saying, “The last time there was a virus, we were on lockdown.”

While the COVID pandemic is still fresh in many people’s minds, some say the lessons learned then can help guide communities now.

“I think the COVID reaction initially was probably too extreme as far as isolating everybody. Certainly, be cautious of where you’re going,” Widmer said. “Staying home if you feel sick, I think, was sufficient enough. I think we learned going through that that parts of it were extreme.”