WHO’s Tedros Addresses Alex Jones Directly: Hantavirus Is Not “COVID 2.0”

The Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) has directly addressed Alex Jones on X, claiming hantavirus is not “COVID 2.0.”

In a response to a video posted by Alex Jones on X at the beginning of this week, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he wanted to respond “sincerely, with an open heart,” to the suggestion hantavirus could be a second pandemic in the making.”

“I understand where this fear comes from,” Tedros wrote.

“COVID-19 scarred all of us. It took loved ones, disrupted lives, and shook our trust in the institutions meant to protect us. That pain is real, and I do not dismiss it.

“But Alex, the facts today tell a different story. There is no ‘rollout’ and no ‘hype.’ As of today, there are only 10 confirmed cases globally, and no deaths have been recorded since May 2. And all deaths are linked to the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. Hence, the WHO’s assessment remains that the risk for the global population is low.

“I kindly ask you, Alex, to consider the weight that words carry in moments like these.”

Dear Alex @RealAlexJones

I have seen your claim that hantavirus is “COVID 2.0,” and I want to respond to you sincerely, with an open heart.

I understand where this fear comes from. COVID-19 scarred all of us. It took loved ones, disrupted lives, and shook our trust in the… https://t.co/uNfH9520z4

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 15, 2026

The WHO, and its leader, faced significant criticism for its role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was frequently criticized for being too close to China; for downplaying the lab-leak hypothesis about the virus’s origins, for providing contradictory information about transmission, mortality rates, safety measures and treatments, including therapeutics like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as opposed to vaccines.

President Trump was the most prominent critic of the WHO, calling it “China-centric.” He eventually froze funding for the WHO and withdrew the US; although this decision was then reversed.

Since returning to the White House, President Trump has again withdrawn the US from the WHO. The reasons cited included the pandemic response, the organization’s failure to reform, a lack of accountability and political influence from member states including China.

Some US states, such as California, are now considering establishing independent ties with the WHO.

This week, it was claimed hantavirus can survive for up to six years in the semen of infected men and could potentially be transmitted sexually, like some other viruses.

A study, published by Swiss researchers, focuses on the case of a 55-year-old man who was infected by the virus while in South America.

Despite disappearing from his blood, urine and respiratory tract, genetic material from the virus remained present in his semen for 71 months—a month shy of six years.

“Taken together, our results show [the virus] has the potential for sexual transmission,” the research team wrote.

In normal cases, hantavirus spreads to humans via rodents and can caused severe respiratory issues with a death rate of between 25% and 40%.

Since the discovery of the disease about the cruise ship MV Hondius, three people have died and eight further cases have been reported.

It’s believed the Andes strain of the virus, which is known to be able to pass from human to human, was acquired by one of the passengers while in Argentina.

The Swiss study suggests male reproductive fluids could serve as a reservoir for the virus to persist in the human body for long periods of time.

Researchers found limited changes to the genetic material detected, suggesting a very slow replication rate while the virus is in semen.

This phenomenon has been documented in other viruses such as Zika and Ebola.

World Health Organisation protocols says the semen of male Ebola cases should be tested every three months and should not be considered safe until two consecutive negative tests.

At this stage, it is not clear how often sexual transmission of hantavirus does or could occur, but the scientists behind the study say it is a biologically plausible mechanism and more research should be carried out.

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