Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread primarily by rodents (mice, rats, voles) that can cause severe, potentially fatal respiratory or renal infections in humans, such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). Transmission occurs through inhaling virus-contaminated air or contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva.

Key Details About Hantavirus

• Transmission: Humans get infected mainly by breathing in dust contaminated with rodent droppings or urine, or by touching these materials and then their eyes/nose. It is rarely transmitted between humans, though some strains, like the Andes virus, can be.
• Symptoms: Early symptoms (1-8 weeks after exposure) include fever, fatigue, and muscle aches (especially thighs, hips, and back). Late-stage symptoms include severe lung infections (HPS) with severe breathing difficulties.
• Fatality Rate: HPS is highly serious, with mortality rates around 50% in some outbreaks.
• Prevention: Primary prevention involves managing and preventing rodent infestations in homes, cabins, and workplaces.
• Diagnosis/Treatment: No specific treatment or vaccine exists; early detection and supportive care in an ICU are critical.

Common Misconceptions

• It's not just a "third-world" disease: Hantaviruses are found worldwide, and specific strains exist throughout the Americas and Eurasia.
• Not all rodents carry it: It is specific to certain species, such as deer mice in North America.
• It's not spread solely by bites: The vast majority of cases are caused by inhaling contaminated dust while cleaning, not by rodent bites.

The World Health Organization is keeping an eye on a Hantavirus epidemic on a cruise ship that has left over 140 passengers stranded and three people dead. The WHO reports that out of the 147 passengers and crew, seven have fallen ill, three of them have passed away, one is seriously ill, and three are experiencing minor symptoms.

The death of a baby who was decapitated during delivery has been ruled a homicide by a medical examiner's office in the U.S. state of Georgia.

Parents Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor sued a hospital they allege failed to inform them that their son was decapitated during birth last year.

A medical examiner's office said the cause of death was a broken neck caused by human action, according to a statement shared by the couple's attorney.

The hospital has denied wrongdoing.

Mr. Taylor accused the doctor who delivered the baby and the hospital of lying to them and not allowing them to see their son, whom they named Treveon Taylor Jr.

"We just want justice for our son," Mr. Taylor said at a news conference on Wednesday in Atlanta. "They lied to us, they ain't let us touch him, we didn't like it."

Shots were fired during the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night. The stage was cleared, including President Trump. The suspect in Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting is in custody and is hospitalized, officials said. He has been identified as a 30-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California, three sources told CBS News.

Iranian state-linked media has warned of potential attacks on undersea cables in the Persian Gulf, shifting focus from oil to the invisible infrastructure powering the global internet. These submarine cables carry emails, banking transactions, and most global data traffic. Key routes run through the Strait of Hormuz, a major digital chokepoint serving Gulf nations. Any disruption could trigger widespread outages, financial instability, and even geopolitical escalation. Past incidents in the Baltic and Red Seas show that such risks are real. For data-heavy economies like India, heavily reliant on these networks, even limited damage could disrupt services, slow connectivity, and impact millions within minutes