Another year/2026/another fun.

The recent hantavirus outbreak was confirmed as the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus found in South America, by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Switzerland. 23 hantavirus cruise passengers returned home to 'all corners,' including to the US, and one is already sick, per NYP As of 6 May, there are 8 cases, 3 of whom are confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing per WHO.

On 2 May 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization. The ship is carrying 147 passengers and crew. As of 4 May 2026, cases have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms.

Illness onset occurred between 6 and 28 April 2026 and was characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock In the meantime let’s refresh, the US 🇺🇸 government continues to conduct and fund research on hantaviruses as of 2026.

This includes work by several federal agencies focused on understanding the virus, improving diagnostics, developing medical countermeasures (like vaccines and antibodies), and supporting surveillance and preparedness. Hantaviruses are rodent-borne pathogens that cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas, with a high case fatality rate (around 35% in the US).

Key US Government Research Efforts

NIH/NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Hantaviruses are listed among NIAID's emerging infectious disease research areas of interest. They are included in the ReVAMPP network (Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness), launched around 2024, which funds studies on prototype pathogens from high-priority virus families, including hantaviruses. This supports work on vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and other tools. NIH has funded structural biology studies (e.g., mapping Andes virus) and earlier work on infection mechanisms.

USAMRIID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases)

This DoD facility actively researches hantavirus medical countermeasures. Recent and ongoing efforts include developing ultra-potent neutralizing antibodies effective against multiple strains, DNA vaccine candidates, and studies on viral receptors and immunology. Postdoctoral fellowships and research opportunities at USAMRIID specifically target hantavirus countermeasures.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The CDC maintains active hantavirus surveillance, tracks cases (e.g., nearly 900 reported in the US through 2023), provides diagnostic testing support, and conducts epidemiologic and ecologic studies on reservoir populations (like deer mice) and transmission risks. They also study gaps in detection and genotype distribution.

Hantaviruses are categorized as priority pathogens (e.g., Category A or C depending on the framework) due to their severity and lack of specific treatments or vaccines.

Some 🇺🇸government patent Information (and patent applications) related to hantavirus vaccines, primarily from US government-affiliated researchers (e.g., US Army/USAMRIID) and others.

These focus on DNA vaccines, vectored approaches, recombinant proteins, and more recent nucleic acid platforms. No licensed hantavirus vaccine exists for general use in the US or most countries, but these patents reflect ongoing development efforts for countermeasures against HFRS (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome) and HPS (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome).

WO2023043901 (mRNA vaccines against hantavirus)

Nucleic acid (mRNA) approaches expressing Gn/Gc glycoproteins or polyproteins.

Additional filings cover prefusion-stabilized glycoproteins, virus-like particles, subunit vaccines, and multi-valent candidates.

US5614193A (1997) Hantavirus vaccine" — Uses an attenuated vaccinia virus vector expressing Hantavirus nucleocapsid N protein and G1/G2 glycoproteins. Assigned to the US Department of the Army (inventors include Connie Schmaljohn).

US9675684B2 (and related, e.g., US10493142B2)**: Gene-optimized Hantaan virus (HTNV) M segment DNA vaccine for HFRS. This codon-optimized plasmid DNA vaccine targets HTNV (and related viruses like SEOV) and has been tested in clinical trials (often in combination with Puumala virus vaccine). Assigned to the US as represented by the Secretary of the Army.

Other USAMRIID/US Army-linked patents include DNA vaccines against various hantaviruses (e.g., Sin Nombre for HPS, combinations for pan-hantavirus protection), with inventors like Jay Hooper. Some have advanced to Phase 1/2 trials.

US20220275346A1 Hantavirus antigenic composition using viral/bacterial vectors (e.g., modified vaccinia Ankara/MVA with chimeric nucleoprotein). UK-linked but collaborative. Many of these are government-owned or co-owned (e.g., US Army) and available for licensing. Research often emphasizes DNA vaccines delivered by gene gun or electroporation, with some progress in animal models (hamsters, etc.) and early human trials showing safety and immunogenicity. Newer platforms like mRNA and vectored vaccines are also being explored by academics and companies.

More to come