{"id":1925540,"date":"2026-05-08T19:57:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1925540"},"modified":"2026-05-08T19:57:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:57:31","slug":"medical-expert-dr-ashish-jha-denies-hantavirus-is-the-next-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1925540","title":{"rendered":"Medical Expert Dr. Ashish Jha Denies Hantavirus Is the Next Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/18\/16by9\/2026\/05\/08\/180f5bb388d645a39bf42e96ba6116ec_xl.png&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"article article--permalink \">\n<header class=\"article__header\">\n<h1 class=\"article__header--headline-title\">Medical Expert Dr. Ashish Jha Denies Hantavirus Is the Next Pandemic<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article__header--headline-fragments\"><span class=\"article__header--hf1 text-uppercase h3\">Hantavirus<\/span><span class=\"article__header--hf2 text-uppercase h1\">Medical Expert Pumps Brakes on Pandemic 2.0 Panic<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"social-media-container\" role=\"region\">\n<ul class=\"social social--sm\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"media-swipe\">Exclusive<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\"><\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tmz.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"js-track-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"google-preferred-btn\" src=\"https:\/\/static.tmz.com\/tmz-web\/img\/article\/google-preferred-source.png\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/pages\/about\/\">TMZ Staff<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"date-wrapper\">\n                                                                        Published <time class=\"published-datetime\" datetime=\"2026-05-08T12:57:31-07:00\"><br \/>\n                              May 8, 2026<br \/>\n                            12:57 PM PDT<\/time><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article__blocks clearfix\">\n<section id=\"cb-76384fa623f4ec6b8e00bf99f06ad6d0\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-video-block canvas-video-block-permalink canvas-video-block--default  canvas-block-is-first \">\n<div class=\"video-block\">\n<div class=\"ratio ratio-16x9\">\n<div id=\"video-player-7acd0519-eeef-4373-8f94-6f506d13ecb2-1344251452-image-holder\" class=\"ratio ratio-item video-block__image-holder\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/21\/16by9\/2026\/05\/08\/21bcb790f904471683d478f678251995_md.png\" alt=\"050826 dr ashish jha live kal\" width=\"728\" height=\"410\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer id=\"video-player-7acd0519-eeef-4373-8f94-6f506d13ecb2-1344251452-footer\" class=\"media-footer video-block__media-footer\"><span class=\"media-launch-text video-block__media-launch-text\">VIRAL UPDATE<\/span><\/footer>\n<div class=\"video-block__media-info\">\n<div class=\"video-block__media-permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/watch\/dr-ashish-jha-hantavirus-tmz-live-interview-05-08-2026\/\">Video: Medical Expert Dr. Ashish Jha Pushes Back on Hantavirus Panic<\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"media-credit video-block__media-credit\">TMZ.com<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-6ca5b6573f52d22f1bf51d5a95091ac6\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>The hantavirus scare is giving some people COVID flashbacks &#8230; but this virus apparently doesn&#8217;t have the same bite.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-98500196bbde2752b7d6fbb13a89456d\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p><strong>Dr. Ashish Jha<\/strong> &#8212; the former White House COVID response coordinator &#8212; stopped by &#8220;TMZ Live&#8221; to tell everyone to exhale a little over the deadly outbreak aboard the MV Hondius\u00a0&#8230; because while he&#8217;s worried about people exposed on that ship, he tells us this thing is NOT shaping up to be another COVID-style nightmare.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-bad85fbb54ea65df6972dae55bcd1a26\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_jpg_20260504_78ab5c26216244529514b86ed7ef2948\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:4d989d30-bc4d-4598-b5e9-f44691c0c672\" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"image\"}'><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/78\/4by3\/2026\/05\/04\/78ab5c26216244529514b86ed7ef2948_md.jpg\" alt=\"MV Hondius Cruise SHIP getty 1\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-block__card-footer\"><span class=\"media-credit image-block__media-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-604254b6e17408662ca3ca64c522c277\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>Check it out &#8230; he assures us, &#8220;This is not gonna be a pandemic. That&#8217;s not how this virus is going to behave.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-be0edab7423167ab39fc99a69ab25434\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>Jha says the biggest concern right now is passengers who were packed together for hours at a time aboard the ship &#8212; not random people brushing past each other in public. According to him, hantavirus simply doesn&#8217;t spread easily enough to spiral into a global pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-0708d8826d13d67593ff61eed08ca40f\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not gonna get it passing somebody in a grocery store. You&#8217;re not gonna get it kind of through casual contact,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-1d7a0d59447289a4cc16c20e2fc3bdab\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>He added that the virus only appears to spread once someone is already showing symptoms &#8212; meaning fever, headaches and feeling sick are the real red flags &#8212; not healthy-looking people quietly walking around during the incubation period.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-83c65cad184dcc046149c4cebcf6fe86\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_jpg_20260506_74718aa388b34690a40dd720177c84c5\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:4d989d30-bc4d-4598-b5e9-f44691c0c672\" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"image\"}'><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/74\/4by3\/2026\/05\/06\/74718aa388b34690a40dd720177c84c5_md.jpg\" alt=\"hantavirus cruise ship x 3\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-a42d10e5d2b249f165a0443a8db07dab\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>Jha says that&#8217;s a huge distinction from the early days of COVID &#8230; when asymptomatic spread became one of the biggest problems on the planet.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-ab2f930c89e5327a459cfb1d713973e5\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>The incubation period &#8212; which can stretch for weeks &#8212; is what&#8217;s freaking a lot of people out &#8230; but Jha says there&#8217;s still no evidence people without symptoms are spreading the virus.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-cfba113b83df87aceacb8d6d5730a1fc\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  canvas-block-is-last \" data-context='{\"section\":\"permalink\",\"name\":\"text_block\"}'>\n<p>And for anyone worried hantavirus could suddenly mutate into a super-strain the way COVID did &#8230; Jha says experts have already genetically analyzed the current outbreak strain and so far, it looks basically identical to previous versions seen over the last several decades.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div 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Video: Medical Expert Dr. Ashish Jha Pushes Back on Hantavirus Panic TMZ.com The hantavirus scare is giving some people COVID [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,77],"class_list":["post-1925540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tmz-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1925540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1925540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1925540\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1925540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1925540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1925540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}