A dangerous experiment is playing out on a cruise ship with hantavirus

A dangerous experiment is playing out on a cruise ship with hantavirus

Scientific American - May 6, 2026

Virologists have long assumed “that the virus just is not very efficiently transmitted human to human, because the small outbreaks that have occurred in the past have always involved either family members or health care workers who have prolonged, very close contact with infected patients,” says Scott Weaver, a professor of human infections and immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch and director of the Global Virus Network Center of Excellence.