About
Independent public information, written like a colleague would tell you.
Hantavirus Ltd is a small editorial operation focused on a small, important topic. We started in early 2026 to make sense of what was happening aboard the MV Hondius. We expect to be here for as long as the topic warrants.
Why a whole site about hantavirus?
Because in May 2026 there was suddenly an enormous gap between the volume of attention on hantavirus and the quality of explanation people were finding. CDC and WHO advisories are technically correct and largely unreadable for non-specialists. Newspaper coverage oscillates between ‘not a big deal’ and ‘possible next pandemic’ depending on the day. We sit in the middle: calm, specific, primary-source-driven, written for ordinary readers.
Editorial principles
- Plain English first. If a reader needs a medical dictionary, we have not finished writing.
- Primary sources. Every claim we make about cases, transmission and clinical features is anchored to WHO, CDC, ECDC, peer-reviewed virology or official national bulletins.
- Calibrate the fear. We don't downplay; we don't catastrophise. Risk has a shape and we try to describe it accurately.
- Update transparently. Living articles carry visible ‘updated’ timestamps. Substantive corrections get a published note, not a silent edit.
- Disclose commercial relationships. Any affiliate, sponsored or commissioned content is labelled at the top of the relevant article.
How we report on the 2026 outbreak
Our outbreak coverage follows a three-stage rhythm. We file a ‘what we know’ piece within hours of a significant primary-source update - usually from WHO disease-outbreak news or a CDC HAN. Within twenty-four hours, we produce a follow-up explainer that puts the new information into the longer pattern. Within a week, we publish a deeper-context piece that takes a single thread - say, person-to-person transmission, or expedition tourism risk - and works it through.
Who writes this
- Alex Marrow - Editor. Public-health journalism background; previous bylines in The Lancet Public Health, Wired and CIDRAP.
- Dr. N. Halvorsen - Contributing medical writer. Internal medicine consultant in Oslo; reviews all clinical articles before publication.
- Ria Castellanos - Science correspondent. PhD virology background, focuses on emerging infections.
- Tom Aldridge - Field reporter. Background in environmental health and pest management.
- Sam Okonkwo - Public-health analyst. Former state health department epidemiologist.
Corrections policy
Substantive errors of fact are corrected in-line, dated, and described in a short correction notice at the top of the affected article. We do not ‘stealth-edit’. If you spot a problem, the address is on our contact page.
What we don't do
We don't provide individual medical advice. We don't sell case data or contact lists. We don't accept advertising from anti-vaccine or pseudoscience operations. We don't take payment to publish editorial content. Sponsored explainers, when we run them, are labelled and editorially independent.
You can reach us at contact@hantavirus.ltd.