It Hantas Me: Part I

In this episode (Part I of II), Olivia breaks down Hantavirus: what it is, how it spreads, and why the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has the world paying attention. She walks through the science of the Andes Virus (the only known Hantavirus strain capable of human-to-human transmission), the full outbreak timeline as of May 13th, 2026, and what key dates to watch in the coming weeks. Spoiler: this is probably not our next pandemic...but it is a warning sign we can't ignore.Also, Ariel starts us off by sharing her public health good news: FDA Commissioner Marty McCary is out, and we break down why almost nobody is sad about it, but why we're still a little nervous about what comes next.---In part two (coming soon!), Mattie & Olivia sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Soda, an infectious disease physician and former CDC employee, to discuss how mass federal layoffs and political appointees have dismantled U.S. public health infrastructure — and what that means for our ability to respond when the next serious outbreak hits.Send us Fan MailSupport the showWant to support PHGC? Subscribe for special episodes or donate as a supporter. Want some PHGC merch? We now have a store on TeePublic! Check it out here.Give us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and share this episode with a friend!---The views expressed on this episode are our own.We are available by email at [email protected] and on Instagram and TikTok at @publichealthgroupchat.Theme music generated in Soundful.