This month, two viruses decided to grab the spotlight in the most unwelcome way possible. First, a hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship M.V. Hondius caused up to 13 infections, three of which were fatal. Then an Ebola outbreak flared in Africa, so far tallying over 900 infections and 220 deaths. Scientists are confused, and when scientists are confused, the rest of us should probably be concerned.
The hantaviruses, typically transmitted via dried rodent urine and saliva, decided to break the rules and spread from person to person aboard the ship. Meanwhile, the Ebola virus in Africa is laughing at the vaccines and antiviral drugs that scientists have worked so hard to develop - because this particular strain is so different that existing treatments are likely to be weak or useless.
Here's the problem, according to experts: there's a vast diversity of viruses out there, but we only have a limited vocabulary to describe them. It's like lumping blue whales and fruit bats together just because they're both mammals. Unhelpful, and potentially deadly.