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KQED's Forum

What Hantavirus Teaches Us About the State of Outbreak Response

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The recent hantavirus outbreak, which killed three people and sickened close to a dozen more, is largely under control, with many passengers now quarantining back in their home countries. But the response, led by a World Health Organization significantly weakened by funding cuts, exposed the obstacles that come with a decentralized approach to global health. It’s a challenge that will play out next in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where an outbreak of Ebola has been labeled an international health emergency. Guests: Dr. Peter Chin-Hong M.D., infectious disease specialist, UCSF Medical Center Josh Michaud, associate director for Global Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:49.1

From KQED.

0:51.9

Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. State health officials confirmed last week that a fifth

0:56.8

Californian is being monitored for exposure to hauntavirus. That person is currently in the

1:01.9

South Pacific, while the other four are in Santa Clara, Sacramento, and Omaha, Nebraska. Officials

1:08.3

say none are reporting symptoms so far, and the risk of spread to the public is

1:12.4

low. But the global and national response to the Hanta virus outbreak, which killed three and

1:17.9

sickened a dozen others on a Dutch cruise ship, is raising questions about our readiness for the next

1:23.6

contagion, just as the World Health Organization declares an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic

1:28.7

Republic of Congo, an international health emergency. Listeners, what are your questions about

1:34.5

hanta virus and Ebola? What do you want to know about how the U.S. and global health leaders are

1:39.1

responding to these outbreaks? Joining me now is Dr. Peter Chin Hong, an infectious disease specialist at

1:45.2

UCSF. Peter, thanks so much for being here. Thanks for having me on, Mina. So can you remind us

1:52.3

what hantavirus is and what's notable about the Andes hantavirus that caused the cruise ship outbreak?

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