As hantavirus cases rise on a cruise ship, social media has revived COVID-19 era conspiracy theories. Notably, Bill Gates has been accused of creating the outbreak, echoing past misinformation campaigns.

As the number of confirmed hantavirus cases from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius reaches 9, social media users firmly revived Covid-19 era conspiracy theories of “bioweapons” and “plandemics,” making the online rhetoric feel eerily familiar. Among these resurrected theories, the name of American billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has once again emerged.