WASHINGTON — A deadly outbreak of a rare strain of hantavirus on a cruise ship has sparked pandemic-era echoes, including a repeat of the familiar drumbeat of dubious theories by social media figures prominent in their COVID-19 skepticism.
For now, ironically, public health agencies and the conspiracy theorists who challenge this actually seem to be in general agreement. Unlike the new coronavirus, hantaviruses currently pose a low risk to the general public.
But the speed with which a small group of people who have become influential during Covid-19 have begun recycling theories, from baseless suggestions about the origins of the current outbreak to unproven treatments, points to a new reality for a new public health threat.
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