Does the cruise ship hantavirus pose a threat to the United States?

Does the cruise ship hantavirus pose a threat to the United States?

From Petrie Dish by Bonnie Petrie

May 14, 2026 · 12 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential threat of a human-transmissible strain of hantavirus that may have reached the U.S.

The southwest has lived with hantavirus for decades, but always the kind you catch from a rodent, never from another person. Now, a human-transmissible strain has potentially reached U.S. soil. Bonnie Petrie and infectious diseases expert Dr. Maximo Brito break down what that means.

People in this episode

Host: Bonnie Petrie

Guest: Dr. Maximo Brito

Topics covered

  • hantavirus
  • infectious diseases
  • public health
  • human transmission
  • cruise ships

Keywords

  • hantavirus
  • infectious diseases
  • human transmission
  • cruise ships
  • public health

Mentioned in this episode

Places: United States, southwest

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