Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) learned of an outbreak of the rare Andes hantavirus variant aboard the Dutch cruise liner MV Hondius. Unlike most hantaviruses, which spread to humans via rodent droppings and are otherwise not communicable, the Andes variant, originating in the mountainous regions of Argentina and Chile, is contagious between humans. Considering hantavirus’s rarity, the internet quickly did what the internet does best: panic over what many assumed was the next COVID-19 pandemic.

And then Ebola re-emerged in Mongbwalu, a gold-mining town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), before spreading and reaching outbreak status on May 15. Between rumors of two Texas-based passengers on the MV Hondius heading home to Houston, and the DRC set to attend the upcoming World Cup games here as well, social media is swirling with anxiety—and the misunderstandings and misinformation it begets. 

It’s understandable why people feel this way. Recent budget cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States’s withdrawal from the WHO in January 2026, and the ongoing onslaught of anti-science sentiment from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have all contributed to the erosion of trust in the public health apparatus.

What the experts want you to know

The truth is that both hantavirus and Ebola work very differently from COVID-19, and many respected health officials state that humanity is not currently staring down the barrel of another global pandemic. Even a gutted public health sector still has protocols in place to monitor diseases like hantavirus and Ebola; both have been extensively researched, so there’s a generous corpus of information to pull from when monitoring and containing threats.

Ebola and hantavirus also spread more slowly from person to person than COVID-19, requiring prolonged contact, which can occur in more contained environments, such as, say, a cruise ship.

“I think the bottom line for folks to remember is, if you weren’t on the MV Hondius…that particular hantavirus is not something you need to worry about,” says Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations at the Texas Department of State Health Services. He confirms that two of the MV Hondius passengers did disembark in Texas, though their location is currently being kept confidential. “They’ve been back at home for a few weeks now. They’re monitoring themselves for symptoms. The health department’s checking in with them a couple of times a day to make sure that they’re still feeling fine. They are,” he says. “And so, those two specific individuals aren’t any risk to the public at all.”

Dr. Catherine Troisi, infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at UTHealth School of Public Health, notes that hantavirus is incredibly rare even in areas where it’s endemic, which is wherever rodents dwell. Troisi, who is also co-editor of the Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, says that epidemiologists have been aware of hantavirus in the United States since 1993. Between then and 2023, only around 30 cases per year in the United States were reported, all of them transmitted via contact with rodent feces rather than person to person.

Hantavirus also has a survival rate of 50 to 70 percent in North and South America “as long as you get medical care,” she says, pointing out that the Western part of the country is more susceptible to hantavirus than the Gulf Coast. Troisi estimates that only around 29 cases have been reported in Texas since epidemiologists began tracking the virus.

As for the person-to-person Andes hantavirus, she says another person with the variant flew on an airplane, and no one else was infected. “We’re just not talking about something that spreads through the air easily, like flu, or COVID, or measles, or mumps,” Troisi adds. The initial outbreaks of the Andes variant of hantavirus occurred at birthday parties with “prolonged contact, close contact,” meaning it’s not something you can contract simply from “passing by somebody on the street.”

In an interview with Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Gray, Baylor College of Medicine’s dean of its National School of Tropical Medicine, Dr. Peter Hotez, reiterates the same sentiment: “Even though human-to-human transmission can and does occur with the Andes virus, it’s not nearly as contagious as a traditional respiratory virus such as measles, or even COVID.”

As of May 27, the WHO reports a total of 13 hantavirus cases from the MV Hondius outbreak, including three deaths, 11 confirmed cases of the Andes variant, and two suspected cases among the 150 passengers and crew members. It’s a stark contrast to the Diamond Princess cruise ship outbreak, which resulted in at least 10 deaths and hundreds of infections at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, just because experts believe the Andes variant is well-contained, well-monitored, and won’t reach COVID-19 levels of devastation, that doesn’t mean the risk of contracting hantavirus is zero. What it does mean is that Houstonians are significantly more likely to contract the disease from rodent droppings than from another person—though the chance of either is quite rare.

What to do if you find rodent droppings

Jorge Ordonez, field service manager at Natran Green Pest Control, recommends calling a pest control professional whenever you come across rodent feces at home. These experts have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid inhaling potentially harmful particles and can seal any holes large enough for rodents to enter human dwellings—a process known as “exclusion services.” “We do have a very high rodent population in Houston, so one of the things that we do, first and foremost, is recommend exclusion services, because you want to keep them out of the house, out of our environment,” he says. Exclusion services are much more ecologically sound than poisons or traps, especially since trap-and-release isn’t an option for rodent mitigation. These methods also require rodents to pass through human homes, potentially leaving behind contaminated droppings, so it’s safer and healthier to keep mice and rats completely away whenever possible.

If a professional pest control service is unavailable for quick mitigation—say, in a remote area—Van Deusen advises wearing an N-95 mask and gloves while cleaning, especially when sweeping around a particularly dirty space. “You want to wet down whatever it is you’re sweeping up or cleaning out, so that you’re not stirring up dust,” he says. “A vinegar [or] bleach solution…is very helpful.” He also advises avoiding direct contact with any droppings and ensuring a barrier, such as a Lysol or Clorox wipe, between your gloved hands and the excretions.  “What I think people in Texas really need to know…It’s not as much of an issue as it is further out west in the U.S., but we do see cases from time to time here in Texas,” he says.

Should you happen to start experiencing the symptoms of hantavirus—which, according to the WHO, typically include “fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting” between one and eight weeks after exposure to rodent feces—report them to a trusted medical professional for monitoring and tracking. Hantavirus can be difficult to diagnose due to overlapping symptoms with other respiratory diseases, so it’s critical to mention whether or not you believe you’ve come into contact with the virus through cleaning.

What about Ebola?

As for Ebola, the other public health phantom hovering over Houston’s World Cup festivities, neither Troisi nor Van Deusen thinks it’s a catastrophic local concern. Houston Health Department director Theresa Tran and Dr. Hotez have both agreed in recent interviews, though Hotez has expressed deep concern for the most vulnerable—the people of the DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda. Still, he says he doesn’t believe the outbreak will enter the United States, particularly given the extensive monitoring and screening of individuals arriving from regions of concern at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and elsewhere across the country.

“At this point, there are exit screenings when you’re leaving the country. There are entry screenings when you’re coming into the country,” Van Deusen says. “It’s a pretty robust monitoring system, and it’s something we’ve done various times over the years related to various Ebola outbreaks.” Only people with United States passports have been allowed to enter the country after visiting an affected region for the past 21 days, and many of the Congolese players expected to take part in the World Cup have been busy practicing in other parts of the world; they haven’t had much, if any, physical contact with their home country. Routine wastewater testing also screens for potential signs of Ebola.

Don't confuse it with COVID

Like the Andes variant of hantavirus, Ebola moves far more slowly than COVID-19, requiring prolonged contact with a sick individual or extensive interaction with infected body fluids. Casual contact is not enough to transmit it, and unlike hantavirus, there’s no chance of transmission from rodents. It isn’t airborne, and there’s already an Ebola vaccine available to prevent and mitigate symptoms. A vaccine still needs to be developed to address the current Bundibugyo strain more effectively, but it’s also one of Ebola’s less lethal forms, with a 30 to 40 percent mortality rate compared to the Zaire strain’s rate of 60 to 80 percent. Ebola also doesn’t just sit in the body, biding its time before causing grave pain. There’s no such thing as an Ebola patient who is both asymptomatic and contagious simultaneously. 

“[People] are not infectious until they start showing symptoms. By the time they’re showing symptoms, they’re probably staying home,” Troisi says, adding that it’s likely to spread among family members. “But for those of us here in the United States, it is just not going to be an issue.” Most Ebola cases that have made it to the U.S. were healthcare workers with extensive patient contact, she adds.  

Wash your hands. Get your shots. Enjoy the games.

World Cup attendees should still keep their health and safety in mind when attending events, of course. While experts do not believe that Ebola and hantavirus will be significant concerns, they warn against norovirus, colds, flu, West Nile virus, and other day-to-day diseases, including COVID. The mundane is more of an issue than the rarities will ever be this summer, but Dr. Hotez and Tran have expressed fear that reduced vaccination rates in the US—emboldened by Kennedy, Jr.’s crusade of misinformation—may potentially lead to outbreaks of measles and mumps, wholly preventable illnesses now re-emerging as a result of conspiracies and conjecture. Right now, it’s best to make sure you’re always up to date on inoculations, wear a mask when appropriate, and follow general health guidelines.

“Wash your hands frequently. Cover coughs and sneezes. If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t expose your friends and neighbors and other people that you’re around, and that’ll help keep [everyone] safe,” Van Deusen says. He also advises restaurants to ensure that they prepare food properly, as foodborne illnesses are always a concern.

Ultimately, the safest thing anyone can do is listen to established, respected public health experts who get their information from peer-reviewed sources and established science—not eerily beige wellness influencers trying to scare you into purchasing “alternate cures” or the Reddit and Facebook commentariat, who can only cite vibes and “Dude, trust me.”

Though anti-science radicals may run the country’s health department (some lower-level federal public health officials go against their boss’s harmful directives and share the truth), respected epidemiology experts, such as Troisi and Dr. Hotez, cut through the noise to send a signal. Fact-based, science-backed messaging helps ensure that people receive the care they need to survive and that those in a panic don’t accidentally deplete resources needed elsewhere.

In other words, don’t start buying up all the toilet paper and bottled water until the scientists doing real boots-on-the-ground work sound the alarm.

Editor's Note: This piece has been updated to clarify that hantavirus has been known in the United States specifically since 1993. It has been known elsewhere in the world for longer.