Kuala Lampur, May 25 -- News of the recent Andes virus (ANDV) outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has understandably triggered concern among many people.

Reports of multiple deaths, combined with social media discussions about passengers returning to their home countries after leaving the vessel, have revived memories that many hoped had been left behind after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The reaction is understandable. Covid-19 changed the way societies respond to news about infectious diseases.

For many people, any report involving an unfamiliar virus, overseas outbreaks, or international travel now immediately raises the same unsettling question: could this become another global pandemic?

But from a virology and public health pers...