90-Second Read: A rare Hantavirus outbreak isn’t the next COVID. Experts still see warning signs

The Hantavirus cruise ship outbreak is unlikely to spread widely, experts say, but has renewed concerns about the nation's ability to fight future pandemics. But unlike those viruses, Hantavirus does not spread easily from person to person, and past experience has shown that outbreaks can be contained with basic public health protocols like quarantine and isolation. Still, though this Hantavirus is highly unlikely to tip over into a pandemic, the U.S. reaction to the outbreak so far is giving public health experts a concerning glimpse into the country's preparedness, or lack thereof, to fend off the next infectious disease.

American passengers (in blue) are evacuated by small boat from the MV Hondius after the Hantavirus-stricken ship docked May 10 in Tenerife, in Spain's Canary Islands. The Hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius so far has infected at least 11 people and killed three of them. The state sees only a few human Hantavirus cases most years.

In 2012, 10 people were infected and three people died in a Hantavirus outbreak in Yosemite National Park that was tied to the tent cabins in Curry Village. Some of the American passengers who were on the cruise ship MV Hondius during a deadly outbreak of Andes Hantavirus were brought to the facility for monitoring. Hantavirus is a much more concerning pathogen than the ones most people know best, influenza, measles and even COVID.