Can hantaviruses cause pandemics?

Abstract The 2026 MV Hondius outbreak of Andes virus (ANDV) renewed concerns regarding the pandemic potential of hantaviruses, particularly because ANDV is the only hantavirus with proved human-to-human transmission. These concerns and fears are justified by the profound negative impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Hantaviruses are segmented negative-sense RNA viruses maintained mainly in rodents and transmitted to man primarily through inhalation of contaminated aerosols. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome predominates in Europe and Asia, whereas hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome occurs in North and South Americas and carries high mortality. Although most hantaviruses have no human-to-human transmissibility, ANDV outbreaks demonstrate that transmission between humans is possible under close-contact conditions. Comparison with previous pandemics and WHO priority pathogens highlights several pandemic-associated features shared by hantaviruses, including zoonotic origin, RNA genome variability, and environmental influences. In this review, we will try to find the answer for the question “Can hantaviruses cause the next pandemic?”.