TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A claim circulated on Instagram [archive] on May 10, 2026, alleging that the emergence of the hantavirus was intended to divert attention from a child pornography case involving Disney employees.
The post included a screenshot of a New York Post article titled “Disney breaks silence after staff dragged off cruise ship as part of massive child porn sting.”
But is it true that the emergence of the hantavirus on the MV Hondius was meant to distract international attention from the Disney cruise ship case?
FACT-CHECK
Tempo verified the claim by comparing it with information from credible sources and consulting health experts. The results show no connection between the emergence of hantavirus and the legal case involving Disney employees.
According to fact-checking organizations Snopes and NBC News, the US Department of Homeland Security arrested 27 crew members involved in child pornography cases in late April 2026. However, the individuals came from eight different cruise ships, not only from Disney Cruise Line.
Data from the immigration advocacy group Unión del Barrio shows that the San Diego arrests included 10 Disney crew members and four Holland America workers. The case has also been widely reported by local and international media, disproving claims of any attempt to divert attention.
Hantavirus Has Been Known Since the 1950s Korean War
The hantavirus infection case on the cruise ship MV Hondius was detected in April 2026 while sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, to the Canary Islands, Spain. A report by The New York Times stated that the WHO confirmed three deaths from the virus during the voyage. Upon docking in the Canary Islands on Monday, May 11, 2026, all crew and passengers were immediately evacuated under strict protocols using personal protective equipment.
Although the timing coincides with the Disney crew case, the infection aboard MV Hondius is not the first of its kind globally. The hantavirus was first identified during the Korean War (1951–1953), causing Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) that infected more than 3,000 UN troops. The US CDC recorded another outbreak in 1993 in the form of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in the western United States, affecting at least 53 people across 14 states.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 10,000 to over 100,000 hantavirus infections occur each year globally, with the highest burden in Asia and Europe. The fatality rate ranges from 1–15 percent in Asia and Europe, rising to as high as 50 percent in the Americas.
Virologist from Airlangga University, Dr. Arif Nur Muhammad Ansori, emphasized that hantavirus disease is not a hoax. The identification of a virus must go through strict global scientific verification. “If a virus were fake, the global scientific community at universities would be the first to expose it,” Arif told Tempo on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Independent health authorities such as Indonesia’s BPOM, the US FDA, Europe’s EMA, and the WHO also play a key role in assessing outbreaks and ensuring the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for the public.
CONCLUSION
Tempo concludes that the narrative claiming that reports on hantavirus infections among MV Hondius passengers were intended to cover up the arrest of Disney employees is misleading.
TEMPO FACT-CHECK TEAM
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