Managing Hantavirus Anxiety

What COVID Taught Us About Managing Hantavirus Anxiety. Lessons from COVID can inform the psychology of a new public health issue.

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW - Psychology Today, May 10, 2026

Key points

• Public health threats can have a long-lasting effect but can be managed in an emotionally healthy way.
• Individuals may experience a spike in anxiety and unpleasant memories of the previous pandemic.
• Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic can help us navigate Hantavirus while maintaining our mental health.

"You likely remember where you were in March 2020 when lockdowns began and the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic set in. Since then, although we have returned to a state of relative normalcy, you may have unpleasant memories or even traumatic memories which can be triggered by specific stimuli such as disturbing images of the pandemic or news related to new or potential viruses. Recently, news has come out about Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a virus that, though different from COVID-19, poses a similarly serious risk to those infected. Psychologically, this news can bring on traumatic memories and spike anxiety. Understanding the psychology of disaster-related anxiety and trauma is vital as we face a new public health threat. We need to clarify that, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Hantavirus infections are uncommon and are linked to specific environmental exposures whereas COVID-19 quickly became a global pandemic because of its fast spread from person to person. So, while these two viruses are different and the Hantavirus is unlikely to be as catastrophic as COVID-19, the traumatic memories and the anxiety they trigger do not differentiate.

"In my book, Understanding and Coping with Illness Anxiety, I discuss the idea of “societal anxiety,” which can affect entire regions or countries—or in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, large parts of the world. This type of widespread anxiety can overtake large swaths of the population in the face of large-scale disastrous events such as viruses or, as a historical precedent, the threat of nuclear annihilation as was experienced during the Cold War. These events can leave a long-lasting effect on global mental health. The scholarly literature on how anxiety and PTSD have increased during and following the COVID-19 pandemic is so robust, I could not possibly adequately summarize it here, but just for context: 76 million new cases of anxiety disorders were reported during the first year of the pandemic (Delpino and others, 2022), there was higher PTSD prevalence throughout the pandemic (Abdalla and others, 2024), and 2025 research concludes that a return to pre-pandemic mental health levels is unlikely (Al-Otaibi and others, 2025). The acute and emergent phase of the pandemic may have passed, but the traumatic memories and the resultant anxiety remain.

"So, when a new threat—in this case, Hantavirus—presents itself and takes over the now ever-present and difficult to silence news cycle, it stands to reason that many individuals may experience a spike in anxiety and the triggering of unpleasant memories of the previous pandemic. This is understandable, and it can cause significant disturbances to daily life, exacerbate anxiety and panic, and cause us to live in a state of stress and worry. While we cannot completely avoid or eradicate these feelings, there are measures we can take to keep them from becoming debilitating or paralyzing.

Prior experience is not predictive

"The nature of anxiety is such that we tend to incorrectly connect events to draw a single conclusion. For example, I might hear about this new virus and automatically conclude that it is going to be just like COVID-19. If I see it this way, I am bound to experience significant anxiety, stress, and worry as I will assume similar outcomes to what occurred before. Anxiety, as powerful as it can feel, does not have any predictive ability. So, though two events might feel emotionally similar, they are not necessarily the same. We already know that there are significant differences between Hantavirus and COVID-19, and it can help our anxiety to keep these in mind, rather than to assume both will play out the same way.

Hypervigilance can increase anxiety

"When faced with a public health threat, vigilance and awareness are positive and healthy ways to stay safe and protected. But, when driven by anxiety or catastrophic thinking, vigilance can shift to hypervigilance—an unhealthy fixation that actually increases emotional discomfort and makes us more worried. So, while being aware of the latest information on a new public health issue is important, being fixated on it can increase discomfort and worsen anxiety.

Sources are important

"None of us is safe from the incessant rush of information, as social media platforms have become news and information sources, for better or worse. As you navigate the deluge of information about the Hantavirus, consider your sources, pay attention to who is saying what (is the Instagram reel you are watching from an epidemiologist or an unqualified influencer?), and think critically as you consume information.

"As devastating and catastrophic as the COVID-19 pandemic was, we learned some important psychological lessons from it that can help us navigate a new public-health issue in an emotionally healthy way. Remembering that what has occurred in the past does not predict what will happen next, being vigilant but not allowing ourselves to become fixated, and being cautious with our sources of information can help keep societal anxiety at bay and reduce disturbance to our daily lives."