In April 2026, the MV Hondius set off from Patagonia. A few weeks later, this cruise raised concerns among health institutions in Europe, North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand: Some passengers had developed severe hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), three of them died.1 The outbreak drew attention to the pathogen, which was previously mainly associated […]

Currently, dengue fever poses the greatest challenge in terms of arbovirus infections. With over 14 million cases reported worldwide in 2024, this is the largest ever recorded epidemic of vector-borne viral diseases [1]. In Europe, 304 autochthonous cases were registered in the same year, representing a significant increase compared to 130 cases in 2023 and

Vector-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika and West Nile fever account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases worldwide [1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 5.6 billion people live in areas at risk of arboviral infections – that’s more than half of the global population [2]. With over 35 years

Anyone who has got a pet rat at home knows how intelligent and adaptable these animals are. And they are becoming increasingly popular as pets. However, as with all animals in human care, there is a risk of them transmitting pathogens, such as hantaviruses, to humans. Hantaviruses, which occur worldwide, belong to the group of

Experts worldwide have identified climate change as the greatest health challenge of the 21st century. There is growing evidence that climatic changes also favour the emergence, recurrence and spread of infectious diseases. However, the full extent of this worrying development is still insufficiently investigated. In a study from 2022, researchers analysed the literature and found