Hantavirus and Ebola Outbreaks Fuel Plandemic Conspiracy Theories Ahead of US Election
The recent outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola have triggered a familiar phenomenon in the United States: a surge in extreme conspiracy theories. Narratives around ‘plandemic’—a term for a planned pandemic—have resurfaced, with claims that the outbreaks were deliberately engineered to disrupt midterm elections or force the use of new vaccines.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Ebola is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), posing a very high national risk. However, in conspiracy circles, the deadly virus is labelled a biological weapon, a financial plot, or a scheme to exploit national resources.
The hantavirus outbreak, which began on a cruise ship in the South Atlantic—killing three passengers and infecting at least 11 others—has also been targeted. Social media is rife with baseless claims, including accusations that passengers were crisis actors, involvement by Bill Gates, and the use of horse dewormer ivermectin as a cure.
Dr Joseph Uscinski, a political science professor at the University of Miami, stated that such phenomena are normal for conspiracy-minded groups. ‘When people pay attention to something, conspiracy theorists interpret illness through their own lens. They blame those they already despise,’ he said.
Conspiracy narratives are currently prominent among the US right wing. Some media platforms accuse hantavirus of being a transparent attempt to terrorise Americans and influence President Donald Trump’s political standing ahead of elections. Mikki Willis, the maker of the film ‘Plandemic’, explicitly stated that the same pattern is being repeated.
However, Uscinski stressed that conspiracy theories are not always partisan. Their defining characteristic is deep distrust of power centres, whether government or pharmaceutical companies.
Ironically, attacks on state authority have worsened responses to the virus. US efforts to contain Ebola have been hampered by massive cuts to global public health funding, including the dismantling of units at USAID and reductions in CDC research.
Diplomatic tensions have also emerged between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus over the speed of outbreak identification in Congo.
Historian Thomas Asbridge noted that current responses to hantavirus and Ebola resemble the Black Death in the 14th century, which occurred amid financial and climate crises. Public confusion exacerbated by contradictory official messages creates openings for conspiracy theorists to further destabilise the situation.
‘We may be far slower in accepting and responding to what is truly needed,’ Asbridge warned. Amid medical uncertainty, misinformation remains the greatest challenge threatening public safety in the 21st century. (The Guardian/I-2)