In a world that has become addicted to apocalyptic hysteria, the news that there is no sign of a major hantavirus outbreak may disappoint some professional doom-mongers. A British-led World Health Organization monitoring team has confirmed that the virus, which has caused alarm in certain quarters, remains a footnote in the annals of public health. This is a victory for calm, rational science over the panic that so often grips our society.

We have been here before. In the Victorian era, cholera outbreaks bred fear and suspicion. Today, hantavirus is simply the latest in a long line of microbial bogeymen.

The WHO's reassurance is a reminder that our public health infrastructure, however beleaguered, still functions. But let us not be complacent. This non-outbreak is a test, and we have passed it.

For now, we can put away our masks and our hand sanitiser, and return to the business of living. The lesson is clear: not every cough signals the plague. Sometimes, it is just a cough.