Health2 min(s) read
Published 08:58 07 May 2026 GMT
Bill Gates' warning over 'next pandemic' resurfaces as hantavirus outbreak leaves 3 people dead
Microsoft and tech tycoon Bill Gates's serious warning about a future pandemic that could be “far more severe” than COVID-19 has resurfaced after three people died following a hantavirus outbreak.
The 70-year-old billionaire, who had committed over $2 billion to the global COVID response, spoke on ABC’s daytime chat show, The View, last year about the potential perils of another pandemic.
Bill Gates' warning resurfaces after hantavirus outbreak
The clip has since reemerged, with his predictions appearing to come true following a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, which has already claimed the lives of three passengers onboard the vessel.
Speaking unreservedly on the show, Gates said: “It won’t be the last pandemic. And the next could be far more severe. And this one, it killed millions, it was awful.
“We got the vaccine, and President Trump’s leadership was a factor in getting that out quickly. So, when I spoke to him, I said there were other scientific innovations, including a thing called an HIV cure that could be accelerated.”
After the COVID-19 epidemic reportedly killed over 7 million people worldwide, Gates has warned that, “We should still be prepared for a pandemic, I still say that’s number one. You can worry about nuclear war, you can worry about AI.”
Due to the staggering death toll, governments across the globe have come under scrutiny for their handling of the virus that sent the world into lockdown six years ago.
As such, Gates put an onus on those in authority, “It’s up to the government to think ahead on behalf of the citizens,” he said.
Gates' chilling prediction amid concerns about hantavirus
“So, the pandemic, there’s a lot more that we could be doing to get our act together before the next one comes. Overall, innovation in health, both in developing countries and in the world.”
“We will certainly have another one [pandemic] in the next 25 years. There are some pathogens out there that we’re watching over right now.”
With concerns growing amid the latest news on the spread of hantavirus — a disease that is known to be transmitted via rodent feces, saliva, or urine, particularly if it becomes aerosolized — health authorities and governments will be preparing for further cases to arise as a result.
However, they may not have anticipated it happening so soon after a recent one.
The outbreak is being linked to a couple of passengers who had visited a landfill site before boarding the ship.
In addition to the three deaths, many of those onboard the ship are having to isolate, including a British couple, who are now back in the UK.