Hantavirus and Bored Billionaires

Hantavirus and Bored Billionaires

From Currently Cringing by Anisha Ramakrishna

May 14, 2026 · 41 min · Season 6 · Episode 213

About this episode

This episode discusses the hantavirus outbreak on a luxury cruise and explores the behaviors of wealthy individuals.

By now you've heard about the MV Hondius — the luxury expedition cruise ship that departed Argentina on April 1st (an omen), visited some of the most remote islands on earth that haven't even been fully rendered on Google Maps, and returned with three deaths, eleven confirmed cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus, and passengers currently being monitored in biocontainment units at Emory University Hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The CDC has classified it a Level 3 emergency. The incubation period is 42 days. And people in the comments were asking if there were still cabins available. This week on Currently Cringing: what the hantavirus cruise actually is (a boredom story, not a public health story), why wealthy people eventually run out of normal Earth, and why my detest for cruises has personally saved my life. Then — the billionaire compulsion nobody is talking about: why men with enough money to purchase governments are still refreshing their mentions at 2am, why the art world cashes their checks and cackles about them at dinner, and why I would disappear completely if I had that kind of money. Plus: why I almost liked a Trump post about China and…

People in this episode

Host: Anisha Ramakrishna

Topics covered

  • hantavirus
  • wealthy individuals
  • cruise experiences
  • public health
  • billionaire behavior
  • social media
  • public opinion

Keywords

  • hantavirus
  • MV Hondius
  • wealthy people
  • cruise
  • public health
  • social media
  • Trump
  • public opinion

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CDC

Places: Argentina, Emory University Hospital, University of Nebraska Medical Center

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