Did The X-Files Predict The Hantavirus Outbreak? An Episode That Aired 26 Years Ago Has Some People Convinced

It’s fun to watch sci-fi shows like “The X-Files” because you can be entertained by outlandish storylines that cause plenty of fictional drama but would never actually happen in real life.

At least, that was the general idea before eagle-eyed conspiracy theorists thought they found evidence that the show actually predicted the current hantavirus outbreak. The outbreak occurred on a cruise ship called the MV Hondius. So far, multiple people have fallen ill, and three have died.

The virus is pretty rare, and experts insist that the general population is facing a low risk, but fans of “The X-Files” may be questioning these reassurances.

Did ‘The X-Files’ really predict the hantavirus outbreak over 20 years ago?

Pop culture aficionados are pointing to two examples from “The X-Files” that seem like they could have predicted the outbreak that has taken over global headlines. The first is an episode that originally aired on February 20, 2000, called “X-Cops.”

The episode is probably the most memorable for being a crossover with the reality show “Cops,” but fans have noticed something else. Apparently, hantavirus is briefly floated as a possible diagnosis for a sick character before it’s disproven.

The hantavirus mention that seems to be grabbing even more attention, however, came from “The X-Files” film from 1998. It follows the outbreak of a virus that is incorrectly identified as hantavirus before everyone realizes it actually originated with aliens.

A clip from the movie that’s gone viral features one of the characters explaining that the supposed hantavirus outbreak was actually a cover-up for a biological weapon conspiracy launched by the government. (Do with that information what you will.)

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The likelihood that this was some kind of precursor to the real outbreak we’re seeing now is pretty minuscule.

I love going down a rabbit hole as much as the next person, but it’s unlikely that “The X-Files” was trying to warn us all about the outbreak of a virus that would happen over two decades later. Instead, the show’s writers probably just wanted to name a random disease that few people know about, but is real, just in case anyone looked it up.

Although hantavirus is rare, it’s not unheard of. It was actually in the news last year when it took the life of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman. The couple lived in New Mexico, and Dr. Emily Abdoler confirmed at the time that the virus is most commonly seen in the Four Corners states in the U.S., which include New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona.

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Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Dr. Afif El-Hasan reported that only 864 cases of the illness were recorded from 1993 to 2022, so it’s not exactly the kind of thing you need to worry about catching during cold and flu season.

Plus, officials from the World Health Organization have insisted “unequivocally” that fears that hantavirus will be the next coronavirus are completely unfounded, and that it won’t spread as widely.

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The reference from 'The X-Files' may be pretty meaningless, but it’s still eerie.

In a post-pandemic world, it’s pretty natural to hear about an outbreak of a deadly virus and think, “Here we go again.” Knowing that the fatality rate of the illness is as much as 15% in Europe and Asia and 50% in the Americas doesn’t inspire confidence either.

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“The X-Files” definitely wasn’t a very realistic show, but knowing the hantavirus was blamed for a massive illness described as a “plague” is disconcerting. Now might be a good time to not only limit your exposure to the 24-hour news cycle but also to skip any reruns you were planning to binge-watch.

By all accounts, the outbreak appears to be taken seriously and handled properly by the right people, so spread will hopefully remain minimal beyond the cruise ship. And, if the worst does happen, maybe it will mean the aliens really are coming to save us from our corrupt society, just like on the show.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.