Original|Odaily Planet Daily (@OdailyChina)
Author|Wenser(@wenser 2010 )
Last night, an old tweet from June 11, 2022, detonated the public opinion field on platform X like a nuclear bomb. This tweet came from a fortune-teller claiming to be able to "read the future," not only predicting the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023 but also, prophetically, accurately mentioning the recent emergence of the Hantavirus.
For a moment, countless people flocked to it, leaving various comments, but the account disappeared after only 5 tweets, gone without a trace, adding a mysterious touch reminiscent of an urban legend.
In the wake of the uncertainty left by the post-pandemic era, discussions related to Hantavirus quickly spilled over from public health topics, evolving into emotional amplifiers on social media. They were also rapidly absorbed by the crypto market as a new trading narrative, from Meme coins to prediction markets—speculative funds always find the points of emotional intensity first.
Amidst the indistinguishable flow of information and the resonance of group emotions, the crypto market once again showcased its instinct: rapidly converting attention, anxiety, and expectations into tradable products and prices.
A Mysterious Tweet from 4 Years Ago Linked to the Recent Cruise Ship Virus That Killed 3
The story begins with an account named @soothsayer.
This account, which only posted 5 tweets, had received little attention before. If you ignored that "Hantavirus prophecy" tweet, you might think this account was no different from the ordinary ones on X that post "inspirational quotes" and "motivational sayings" daily.
But as Hantavirus topics kept heating up these past few days, this old tweet took on a flavor of "cyber mysticism."
In April this year, a cruise ship named "Hondius" departed from Argentina in South America, originally planning to cross the entire Atlantic to the Canary Islands in Spain. However, during the voyage, a Dutch man suddenly died on board, later confirmed to be due to Hantavirus. As of May 6, the death toll had risen to 3, with infections increasing to 8, including tourists from the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and other places. Currently, the cruise ship is temporarily denied docking due to Hantavirus, and the WHO is closely monitoring the situation. Notably, around 30 passengers disembarked from the ship two weeks prior without tracking procedures and have dispersed to 12 countries.
Therefore, although the WHO clarified that the virus had not previously shown large-scale transmission, it inevitably caused public panic, with many exclaiming, "It reminds me of the fear of being controlled by COVID."
It is worth noting that, according to test results from the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland, the virus type in this outbreak has been confirmed as the Andes Hantavirus.
The vast majority of Hantaviruses are not transmissible from human to human, but the Andes virus is the only exception; this transmission usually occurs among close contacts like family members or healthcare workers. Additionally, Hantaviruses mostly infect humans through "rodent-borne" routes, primarily via three transmission methods: respiratory infection, i.e., inhaling aerosols contaminated by rodent excreta; contact infection, i.e., broken skin or mucous membranes directly contacting excreta from infected rodents; and digestive tract infection, i.e., consuming food contaminated by rodent excreta.
As for the concern many have about whether the virus will spread to China, reliable sources indicate that in China, diseases caused by Hantavirus are known as "epidemic hemorrhagic fever." China has achieved significant success in the prevention and treatment of this virus and its associated illnesses, and there is currently no risk of a large-scale outbreak; the Chinese Embassy in Cape Verde previously issued a notice confirming that there were no Chinese citizens on the ship.
Looking back at the "fortune-teller's" tweet, it not only directly mentioned Hantavirus but was also posted four years ago, making it indeed highly topical.
Hantavirus in Crypto: Meme Coins and Prediction Markets
Following the emergence of Hantavirus, the crypto market also experienced tremors, with Meme coins and prediction markets quickly putting on their own performances.
Community members dug up a Meme coin created a year ago, officially launched on external markets on May 4th: HANTA (Hantavirus) Meme coin (2tXpgu2DLTsPUf9zFmuZmA4xrYxXKBTpVq9wAM7hzs9y). Its current market cap is temporarily reported at $12 million, making it a veritable "OG launch."
Furthermore, in terms of prediction markets, both Polymarket and Predict.fun have listed betting events related to Hantavirus.
On Polymarket, the probability of the "2026 Hantavirus Pandemic" event occurring is temporarily reported at 10%, having previously surged to nearly 35%; the betting amount is currently around $2.27 million. Its settlement rule is: "If the World Health Organization, in official public communications from market creation until 11:59 PM EST on December 31, 2026, explicitly characterizes an outbreak of Hantavirus, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), or a Hantavirus-related outbreak as a 'pandemic,' this market will settle to 'Yes'; otherwise, this market will settle to 'No.' Explicit characterization includes official WHO statements, reports, press conferences, or publications that clearly describe the outbreak as a 'pandemic.' Declaring it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) alone does not qualify unless it is also described as a pandemic. The primary settlement source for this market will be official WHO communications. Consensus from credible reporting may also serve as a source."
The probability for the similarly named betting event on the Predict.fun platform is temporarily reported at 11%, slightly higher than Polymarket's data; the betting volume is smaller, only around $4,400. Its settlement rules are similar to Polymarket's, also relying on the WHO's public statements.
For many people, betting real money on the future is inherently addictive. The reason prediction markets are getting hotter is essentially because they turn humanity's anxiety, curiosity, and desire for the unknown directly into tradable commodities.
Finally, let's turn our attention back to platform X. There, numerous old posts about "Hantavirus" are still scattered, some posted in 2020, some even dating back to 2012. Some people fish out fragments as "divine prophecies," some piece together blurry screenshots into complete stories, and others firmly believe everything was already pre-written.
Truth or falsehood isn't important; what's truly fascinating is how the internet always manages to mix coincidence, fear, emotion, and imagination into something between reality and urban legend, making you unable to resist clicking to take a look.
Just like the words left by that fortune-teller @soothsayer: "Today's laughter, tomorrow's tears."
