[Comment] Offline: Hantavirus—surprise, complacency, and peril

Memories resurface. An unfamiliar virus. Deaths. A stricken cruise ship. Quarantines. Hastily arranged WHO press briefings. Scientists interviewed on radio and television about what is known—and, more importantly, not known—about disease transmission. WHO has assessed the public health risk as low. But for the families of the three passengers on the MV Hondius who died, together with those with either confirmed or suspected hantavirus infection, the news of an outbreak of a mysterious virus will be frightening.