fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Scientists had to shelve hantavirus vaccine as funding ran out before outbreak | The Jerusalem Post

Jpost · · 585 words · By ASHER SMITH
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Scientists had to shelve hantavirus vaccine as funding ran out before outbreak

Scientists developing a potential vaccine for hantavirus halted key research efforts after running out of funding during trials in 2016, despite promising early results and amid renewed global concern following a deadly outbreak linked to a cruise ship in…

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

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

What happened

Scientists developing a potential vaccine for hantavirus halted key research efforts after running out of funding during trials in 2016, despite promising early results and amid renewed global concern following a deadly outbreak linked to a cruise ship in…

Why it matters

The report came in the wake of increased attention on hantavirus after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed multiple infections and at least three deaths connected to an outbreak involving the Andes strain of the virus aboard the MV Hondius cruise…

Common ground

Unlike most hantaviruses, which spread through contact with infected rodents, the Andes variant can spread from person to person, raising concerns among infectious disease experts about broader transmission risks, according to the WHO.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.jpost.com/science/article-896749

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle
Claim 1: “After successful animal testing, the lab was ready to begin testing on human subjects when they ran out of money and had to end their research prematurely”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources confirm that after successful animal trials, the research team was ready for human testing but ran out of money, causing the research to end prematurely.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — After later success in animal trials, the lab was ready to work with international partners to start testing on humans. Then they ran out of money. Now that same strain of hantavirus, the only one kno…
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/we-were-close-then…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Barria's team developed antibodies neutralizing hantavirus by 2016 but lacked funding for human trials.After later success in animal trials, the lab was ready to work with international partners to st…
https://www.ndtv.com/health/hantavirus-scientists-were-close…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Researchers working on hantavirus treatments are back in focus after a cruise ship outbreak infected multiple people. According to Bloomberg News, Chilean scientists had achieved encouraging results i…
https://www.indiatvnews.com/health/hantavirus-outbreak-vacci…
info
Claim 2: “results have shown effectiveness in protecting against the Andes strain in early trials”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of search results for 'Kartik Aaryan' (an actor) and 'Kartik Sharma' (a cricketer), which are irrelevant to Professor Kartik Chandran. No evidence was provided confirming the results of his trials.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Kartik Aaryan (born Kartik Tiwari; 22 November 1990) [1][2] is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He appeared in Forbes India 's Celebrity 100 list in 2019, and his accolades include…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kartik_Aaryan
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 50M Followers, 1,299 Following, 3,370 Posts - KARTIK AARYAN (@kartikaaryan) on Instagram: " ️🔥"
https://www.instagram.com/kartikaaryan/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · After Kartik Sharma raised his half-century against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) with a cracking six over extra-cover off Mohammed Shami, he had the usually stoic Stephen Fleming applauding…
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ipl-2026-with-kartik-shar…
check_circle
Claim 3: “Kartik Chandran, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has been incrementally developing a vaccine and an antibody treatment”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results (including Bloomberg) confirm that Professor Kartik Chandran at Albert Einstein College of Medicine is developing a vaccine and antibody treatment.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Through the Wormhole is an American science documentary television series narrated and hosted by American actor Morgan Freeman. It began airing on Science Channel in the United States on June 9, 2010.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_the_Wormhole
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — But there are promising vaccines and treatments in development. And some of them, experts said, could be moved through the pipeline rapidly if hantavirus interventions became a priority.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/09/science/hantavirus-vaccin…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Barría and Chile weren’t alone in working on hantavirus, though progress has been incremental. Kartik Chandran, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has been developing a vaccine an…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-13/hantaviru…
+ 1 more evidence source
check_circle
Claim 4: “María Inés Barría, a virologist and researcher at Universidad San Sebastián in Chile, developed antibodies to treat hantavirus and successfully neutralized it in 2016”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm María Inés Barría of Universidad San Sebastián (and Universidad de Concepción) developed antibodies that neutralized hantavirus by 2016.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Strait of Magellan (Spanish: Estrecho de Magallanes), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Magellan
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1540s decade ran from 1 January 1540, to 31 December 1549.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1540s
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Barria's team developed antibodies neutralizing hantavirus by 2016 but lacked funding for human trials.The antibodies developed in the immunovirology lab at the Universidad de Concepcion, about 300 mi…
https://www.ndtv.com/health/hantavirus-scientists-were-close…
+ 2 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 5: “there have been 39 confirmed infections and at least 13 deaths, according to the Chilean Health Ministry”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence contains general information about Chile and a WHO report mentioning 8 confirmed cases and 3 deaths for the cruise ship cluster, but nothing mentioning '39 confirmed infections and 13 deaths' from the Chilean Health Ministry.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Chile: Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the wo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_Chile
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In Chile, workers have the right to form and join unions without prior authorization, and approximately 10% of the total work force is unionized. The law allows unions to conduct their activities with…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_rights_in_Chile
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, extending along a narrow strip of land betwee…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 6: “Scientists developing a potential vaccine for hantavirus halted key research efforts after running out of funding during trials in 2016”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that scientists (specifically Barría's team) developed antibodies by 2016 but lacked funding for human trials, leading to the research being stalled.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2012 Yosemite hantavirus outbreak was an outbreak of hantavirus infections linked to visits to Yosemite National Park in California, United States, during 2012. The outbreak was unusual and repres…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Yosemite_hantavirus_outbr…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andes virus (ANDV) is a cause of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Chile and Argentina. The virus is carried and transmitted mainly by the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus).…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virus
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hantavirus infection or hantavirus disease is an infectious disease of humans caused by viruses in the Orthohantavirus genus of viruses. It can result in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantavirus_infection
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 7: “the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed multiple infections and at least three deaths connected to an outbreak involving the Andes strain of the virus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left Argentina on April 1”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The Wikipedia entry for 'MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak' explicitly confirms an outbreak of the Andes virus on the MV Hondius in April 2026, mentioning confirmed cases and three deaths.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andes virus (ANDV) is a cause of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Chile and Argentina. The virus is carried and transmitted mainly by the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus).…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virus
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hantavirus infection or hantavirus disease is an infectious disease of humans caused by viruses in the Orthohantavirus genus of viruses. It can result in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantavirus_infection
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In April 2026, an outbreak of hantavirus infection caused by the Andes virus was identified on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius. There are nine confirmed cases and two suspected cases directly linked …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Hondius_hantavirus_outbreak
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 8: “the Andes variant can spread from person to person”
CORROBORATED
Five independent cross-references (The Hindu, RT News, France24, Nypost) all state that the Andes strain is the only hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission.
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — Andes strain of hantavirus... is known to have limited capability of human-to-human transmission
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/indian-nationals-pa…
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — The outbreak was caused by the Andes strain of hantavirus – the only one known to be capable of human-to-human transmission through close contact.
https://www.rt.com/news/639846-british-parachute-hantavirus-…
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — Health officials confirmed the presence of the rare Andes strain, the only known form of the virus capable of human-to-human transmission.
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260506-three-infected-p…
+ 2 more evidence sources
info
Claim 9: “the global COVID-19 crisis diverted resources”
SINGLE SOURCE
While there is a mention of COVID-19 lessons and the pandemic in the context of hantavirus, the provided evidence does not explicitly corroborate the specific claim that resources for the hantavirus vaccine were diverted due to COVID-19 across multiple independent sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The virus is significantly more lethal than Covid-19, with a fatality rate of up to 50percent in severe cases, yet it is far less likely to cause a pandemic.
https://nation.africa/kenya/health/covid-19-fears-why-hantav…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The experience from the COVID-19 pandemic offers several important lessons for a U.S. response that limits fear, confusion and unnecessary escalation while ensuring the country remains ready if risks …
https://www.forbes.com/sites/omerawan/2026/05/11/lessons-the…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Is the coronavirus vaccine safe? Now that the first COVID19 vaccine from Pfizer is being released, how do mRNA vaccines work?Are Vaccines Causing Magnetism? ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=the81FQoAUI
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.