Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks prompt raft of conspiracy theories in divided US

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · May 25, 2026 · 1056 words · By Edward Helmore

Conspiracy Theories Political polarization Public Health

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What to know about Conspiracy Theories

Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks carry with them familiar attendants in the US: extreme conspiracy theories about a planned pandemic, or “plandemic”, designed to upend midterm elections or push new vaccines or any one of a myriad of wild ideas.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left17%

Center66%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Ebola, which the World Health Organization warned on Friday is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, poses a “very high” risk at the national level.

Common ground

In the upside-down world of conspiracy theories it could be a bioweapon, a financial plot, or a scheme to extract national resources.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Conspiracy Theories story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Mikki Willis, who made the film Plandemic, about the conspiracy theory that the Covid pandemic was planned?
How does this story connect Conspiracy Theories with Political polarization over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/25/ebola-hantavirus-conspiracy-theo…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

schedule Pending 4

check_circle Corroborated 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info

Claim 1: “Mikki Willis, who made the film Plandemic, about the conspiracy theory that the Covid pandemic was planned”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses the name 'Mikki' and a gambler named Mikki Mase, but does not provide information about Mikki Willis or the film 'Plandemic'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mikki is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Fictional characters:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikki

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web search NEUTRAL — May 7, 2024 · The name Mikki is a gender-neutral name with both historical and cultural significance. Derived from the Japanese gender-neutral name Miki, it holds the lovely translations of “three tre…
https://www.momjunction.com/baby-names/mikki/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 3, 2024 · MIKKI Mase has gained fame as a gambler who has been banned from Las Vegas casinos. The social media star has thousands of followers across multiple platforms.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/10987743/who-mikki-mase-gambler…

schedule

Claim 2: “Thomas Asbridge, a Middle Ages historian and author of The Black Death”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 3: “The hantavirus outbreak, which began on a cruise ship in the South Atlantic, killing three passengers and causing at least 11 to test positive”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic/South Atlantic in May 2026, with one source specifically mentioning three deaths and others mentioning a cluster of cases reported to the WHO.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On 2 May 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization. The ship is carrying 147 passengers and crew. As of 4 May 202…
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On May 2, 2026, a cluster of severe respiratory illness among passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic was reported to WHO, and a suspected hantavirus outbreak was identified. The vessel depart…
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Three people have died and three others are ill following suspected cases of hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167431

info

Claim 4: “The rightwing site Gateway Pundit, which included a “Contagion Emergency Kit”, suggested that hantavirus was “another plandemic””

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly corroborates that Gateway Pundit suggested hantavirus was 'another plandemic' and mentioned a 'Contagion Emergency Kit'. Other results discuss the outbreak generally but not the specific claim about Gateway Pundit.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 8 hours ago ... The rightwing site Gateway Pundit, which included a “Contagion Emergency Kit”, suggested that hantavirus was “another plandemic” and a ...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/25/ebola-hantav…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 11, 2026 ... A cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak on board is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands on Sunday. Now preparations are being made at ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYNLs_3DSQX/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 7 days ago ... ... gateway to another pandemic. “We'd ... This comes after the White House proposed a $65 billion pandemic preparedness plan over 10 years.
https://www.facebook.com/thehealthsite/posts/experts-warn-th…

check_circle

Claim 5: “Ebola, which the World Health Organization warned on Friday is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, poses a “very high” risk at the national level.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results (BBC and other news sources) confirm that the WHO warned of a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the DRC and raised the risk level to 'very high' at the national level.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a zoonotic viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by four of the six known ebolaviruses. Symp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Kivu Ebola epidemic was an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) mainly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and in other parts of Central Africa, from 2018 to 2020. Between 1 August…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kivu_Ebola_epidemic

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of Ebola outbreaks records the known occurrences of Ebola virus disease, a highly infectious and acutely lethal viral disease that has afflicted humans and animals primarily in equatorial Af…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ebola_outbreaks

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Anti-fluoridation, a movement that opposes the addition of fluoride to public water supplies, exists in Portland, Oregon, and it does in Florida”

CORROBORATED

Web search results and Wikipedia confirm the existence of anti-fluoridation movements in the US, specifically mentioning Portland (PDXScholar) and general movements across various states including Oregon.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Water fluoridation is considered very common in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Chile and Australia where over 50% of the population drinks fluoridated ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation_by_country

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 12, 2024 ... Recent Posts · US Cities Ending Public Water Fluoridation Programs.
https://www.facebook.com/nbcphiladelphia/posts/from-oregon-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — These anti-fluoridationists believed that fluoridation violated the Fourteenth Amendment. An early contributor to the anti-fluoridation movement was Royal Lee ...
https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic…

schedule

Claim 7: “In response to identification of the Andes strain of hantavirus onboard MV Hondius, officials initially offered contradictory information about whether it was spread by rodent dropping or could by close human-to-human contact.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 8: “Dr Joseph Uscinski, an associate professor of political science at the University of Miami and author of a new book on the consequences of the Black Death that killed more than one third of Europeans in the 14th century.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general medical provider directories for Los Angeles and does not mention Dr. Joseph Uscinski or his book on the Black Death.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Welcome To California Lung Associates California Lung Associates, located in downtown Los Angeles, CA, specializes in diagnosing and treating pulmonary and respiratory diseases. Our team of physicians…
https://callung.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Cedars-Sinai offers world-class specialty care from expert physicians. We're pioneering research and education while setting new standards for patient care.
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/home.html

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web search NEUTRAL — Book an appointment, find immediate care locations, or search for a UCLA Health doctor/provider by condition, specialty, location or name.
https://www.uclahealth.org/providers

schedule

Claim 9: “Last week, US secretary of state Marco Rubio and WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus clashed on US international engagement after Rubio said the agency was a “little late” in identifying the Ebola outbreak in DRC.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 10: “WHO’s chief scientist, Sylvie Briand, said on Friday that obeldesivir, an experimental Covid antiviral treatment developed by Gilead, could be used among Ebola contacts to prevent them from developing the disease.”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web search results explicitly state that WHO chief scientist Sylvie Briand mentioned the antiviral treatment Obeldesivir could be used for Ebola contacts.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ... The WHO's chief scientist, Sylvie Briand, said an antiviral treatment called Obeldesivir could be used among Ebola contacts to prevent them ...
https://wtvbam.com/2026/05/22/who-raises-risk-of-ebola-outbr…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ... The WHO's chief scientist, Sylvie Briand, said an antiviral treatment called Obeldesivir could be used among Ebola contacts to prevent them ...
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ... The WHO's chief scientist, Sylvie Briand, said an antiviral treatment called Obeldesivir could be used among Ebola contacts to prevent them ...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/raises-risk-ebola-…

help

Claim 11: “vapor-trail conspiracies that started during the anti-Vietnam war protests.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for vapor-trail conspiracies originating during anti-Vietnam war protests.

info

Claim 12: “During the previous Ebola outbreak in 2014, online posts – some picked up by Infowars’ Alex Jones – held that Ebola victims were returning as zombies.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'during' and does not contain any information regarding the 2014 Ebola outbreak or Alex Jones.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 15, 2026 · The meaning of DURING is throughout the duration of. How to use during in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/during

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — DURING definition: 1. from the beginning to the end of a particular period: 2. at some time between the beginning and…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/during

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — During means throughout the entire time or at a certain point in time when something was happening. During is a preposition, which is a type of word used before a noun or pronoun to relate it to anoth…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/during

schedule

Claim 13: “Asbridge points out the Black Death came during financial and climate crises – the collapse of the Florentine gold-backed economy and the onset of the Little Ice Age.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 14: “US engagement in curbing the current Ebola outbreak is hampered by massive cuts to global public health efforts, including the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAid) and research cuts at US health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for the claim regarding the dismantling of USAID or specific CDC research cuts hampering the current Ebola outbreak.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.