Not Hantavirus! Ex-WHO Chief Scientist Reveals Number One Pandemic Threat Worse Than Covid

Last Updated:May 16, 2026, 09:22 IST

As hantavirus sparks fresh global concern, former WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan tells News18 why another fast-evolving virus worries experts far more.

H5N1 bird flu is worrying and tops the list of viruses posing pandemic threats, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation, told News18 in an exclusive interaction.

Cases of bird flu have re-emerged in India, with detections in multiple states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh in early 2025, after the virus was last detected in December 2023.

“The influenza viruses are actually number one on the list of viruses that pose pandemic threats. Coronaviruses are also up there. And H5N1 in particular is very worrying, because when it does happen in humans, it has quite a high mortality," said the former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

“Unlike Covid, which has a mortality of less than 1%, H5N1 in humans has a mortality which is much, much higher," Swaminathan said.

H5N1 has demonstrated adaptation across species. The virus has spread from birds to cats, cattle in the US, and minks across multiple continents. This cross-species transmission indicates the virus has already adapted to survive in mammalian hosts.

“Once it’s in mammals, it means that the virus has already adapted itself to survive in mammals and spread from one to another. It could be a matter of time before there are further mutations and it adapts to become a human virus, just like SARS-CoV-2 ultimately developed some mutations which enabled it to jump to humans and cause human-to-human transmission," she warned.

The pandemic risk is substantial. “If that happens, it’s an extremely serious situation, extremely serious. And it could be a pandemic that’s much worse than the coronavirus pandemic. So this is why we need to track it, there needs to be surveillance. And again, it needs to be across sectors. But we also need to develop the tools. We need vaccines. We have got some antiviral therapeutics like oseltamivir that act against H5N1, but we need much more R&D here."

Is Hantavirus The Next Covid?

In May 2026, a different emerging threat — hantavirus — demonstrated both the risks and the effectiveness of coordinated outbreak response. An outbreak aboard the MV Hondius in the South Atlantic resulted in eight confirmed cases and three deaths. The virus strain was identified as the Andes virus.

Swaminathan explained that hantavirus presents a fundamentally different threat profile from H5N1. Andes virus, while capable of person-to-person transmission, has notably lower transmissibility than Covid-19.

“The hantavirus normally does not spread from person to person. But in this case, it’s an Andes strain, which is the only strain of hantavirus that has been known to spread from person to person. And there have been several previous outbreaks that have been described. This mostly occurs in Latin America."

The transmission dynamics differ critically from SARS-CoV-2. “This virus can spread from human to human through contact. Now, in the past, it was believed that you required prolonged and close contact. But this is something that keeps evolving. With every outbreak, we need to really study the epidemiology."

The Andes virus causes lower respiratory infection and pneumonia. “The three patients who died died of respiratory failure. So the transmissibility is much lower compared to Covid. And the other big difference is that this virus probably spreads from a person once they are symptomatic. Whereas with Covid, with SARS-CoV-2, we saw widespread asymptomatic transmission going on. And that’s why it became very difficult to contain."

How Can We Protect Ourselves From Virus-Led Infections?

For families in India, Swaminathan offered practical, evidence-based guidance that applies to multiple emerging viral threats. Basic hygiene remains foundational.

“When you go out and come back home, wash your hands with soap and water. Similarly, before eating and after eating, wash your hands with soap and water. Ensure that your source of drinking water is clean because we know a lot of infections, bacterial and viral, spread through water."

Food safety is critical. “If you are buying food outside and eating it, you have to be very careful about the source of the food. Milk — a lot of people think that drinking raw milk, unpasteurised milk, is a good idea. It’s not a good idea because infections can spread through raw milk. So boil or pasteurise milk before consuming it. The same thing applies to meat. It has to be properly cooked."

Regarding H5N1 specifically, the risk from eating properly cooked poultry is minimal. “H5N1 does not spread by eating chicken, but the virus usually spreads to handlers who are dealing with live birds that may be infected. So people who are buying and eating chicken may not need to worry as long as they cook it well. Wash vegetables and fruits properly."

Respiratory precautions learned during Covid remain relevant.

“Cover your nose and mouth when you are coughing. If you have a bad cold or cough, wear a mask to protect others so that you’re not coughing into people’s spaces. For people who are vulnerable, protect yourself when you’re in a crowded place. There is no harm in wearing a mask if you’re on a crowded bus, train or plane, or even in a movie hall."

Vaccination across the lifespan provides protection against known threats. “Vaccines are not just for kids. Of course, a lot of them are given to children to protect them from many of these infections. But we now have adolescent vaccines like the human papillomavirus vaccine and, of course, tetanus toxoid and diphtheria vaccines. Then we have adult vaccines, particularly as you get older — influenza vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination, and vaccination against shingles. So the good thing is that we have many vaccines to protect ourselves from known infections."

Swaminathan’s final counsel addressed the broader challenge of communicating disease risk in an age of online misinformation. “Do not panic and do not start believing anybody and everybody who comes on the internet and starts spreading panic or fear. Listen to public health authorities. Listen to the experts and follow their advice."

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