health
Arizona man who survived hantavirus 24 years ago, but lost mom and sister, says recent outbreak is "hard" to process
Updated on: May 8, 2026 / 9:55 PM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- Gilbert Zermeño, a photojournalist, contracted hantavirus 24 years ago, losing his mother and sister to the illness.
- He describes processing news of a recent hantavirus outbreak as 'hard' and emotionally taxing.
- Zermeño emphasizes that hantavirus is not spread easily between people and the risk to the public is very low.
- He advises against panic, suggesting people research the illness and listen to medical professionals.
- Health officials state there is no pandemic-level threat due to the low likelihood of human-to-human transmission.