Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak Raises Concerns, Tests Post-COVID Public Health Communication

An outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus on an Atlantic luxury cruise ship has awakened trauma from the COVID-19 era. Health officials are facing a dilemma in communicating quickly and clearly about the virus without inciting panic. The World Health Organization and other experts are applying lessons learned from COVID-19 to provide empathetic information, emphasizing that the current public health risk remains low despite the severity of the outbreak on the ship.