“Those who fall ill with hantavirus infection need significant treatment; a bit of rest is not enough. But let's remember that these viruses are rarely transmitted from human to human. There was the tragic story of the ornithologist and his wife's deaths, but they were sleeping together in the same cabin on the ship. But if I have to state the risk for Italy, given that zero in biology doesn't exist, I feel confident saying a number as close to zero as possible. Citizens are panicking because we have a fresh memory of the Covid pandemic, but there are viruses and viruses; these viruses do not have the capacity to trigger a pandemic emergency. Recently there have been outbreaks in Argentina and they didn't attract attention, despite the lack of safety measures. Furthermore, passengers disembarked from the ship were taken to the hospital aboard protected vehicles and were asymptomatic, so the risk of contagion is practically zero. I don't understand this alarmism; in Argentina they already have about a hundred cases a year, they know how to manage them, and the disease has never spread on a large scale. This tells us a lot about its low capacity for diffusion. Europe has responded in an organized manner, as the few infected people are already in hospitals, under control, and in a regime of maximum containment".

Ilaria Capua - Senior Fellow in Global Health at Johns Hopkins University and WHO and FAO collaborator

Always a light in the dark. Thank you for existing.

I've been repeating the same things for a week because the collective delusion is struggling to subside. Infodemic in its purest form. The reason for the alarmism, however, I'll explain in two words: visibility and monetization of attention. Debates among scientists take place in appropriate venues, not on social media, TV, and newspapers. Communication directed at the general public, however, must be clear, precise, based on evidence and statements from health organizations, avoiding theoretical speculations not supported by facts. Let me remind you that fostering unfounded fears undermines trust in institutions and science in general.