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I certainly hope they're right. There is a vaccine for the disease.
My wife has been warning me about hantavirus ever since I came here. We have rats out in the countryside so when she caught me cleaning the floor with the blower in the galpon where we keep the machines she warned me to always wear a mask. Used to think she was exaggerating but seemingly the number of cases in Provincia de Buenos Aires has risen in recent years.
Historically, I have heard about hantavirus only in El Bolsón. It is unclear to me how people came in contact with rat feces, but since now they say it spreads through particles in the air, it makes sense.
I didn't know about it in the province of buenos aires, though.
I recall deadly cases reported in recent years from mountain areas of Neuquen and Rio Negro provinces. Also the famous case, from the last year or two, of Gene Hackman when his wife died from the disease contracted somewhere on the multimillion sprawling property in New Mexico.
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[This lastest virus outbreak] has been identified as the Andes virus, the only type of hantavirus that can be transmitted from one person to another.
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Argentine officials revealed their governent’s leading theory is that the two MV Hondius passengers carried the rat-virus on board after birdwatching in the city of Ushuaia, the Associated Press reports.
The pair, both 69, visited a landfill site during the trip and may have been exposed to rodents carrying the deadly infection.
They then boarded the cruise ship on April 1, 2026, and the husband developed flu-like symptoms five days later.
Argentine authorities have said Ushuaia and surrounding Tierra del Fuego province had never recorded a hantavirus case.
According the the BBC the Dutch couple who died had been travelling about before joining the ship. I think they'll have a job finding out where the virus was caught.
''He said the first two people with the confirmed virus had "travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip which included visits to sites where the species of rat known to carry the virus was present".
The latest BBC update on the virus.
The national government's investigation team is taking its time arriving in Ushuaia when they need to jump on this one asap!
Cases closer to home have risen over the last year.
None of the major Argentine news channels are giving Hantavirus any coverage at all. It's also worth noting that Tierra del Fuego is a K stronghold and has been for years, which could explain the investigation delay.
Could well be but given the number of cases elsewhere it might not be the place they should be looking at. As I said before the missus has warned me about this virus being spread by rodents for many years. Given the lack of media coverage of it I thought she was overreacting, maybe she wasn't.
The national government's investigation team is taking its time arriving in Ushuaia when they need to jump on this one asap!
The federal government has already done their part. They have set the stage for the free market to come in to resolve the problem. The national park workers have been eliminated so the maintenance of trails, signage, and education of visitors can now be replaced by the tourism industry. The health workers, plus animal and plant biologists in the field no longer work for the government agencies, so the free market will do those jobs much more efficiently. Soon. 🤔
Unfortunately there are no real health controls any more since Milei arrived.
Unfortunately there are no real health controls any more since Milei arrived.
In what way GJ?
UK Man He has made so many cutbacks that there are no attempts to control outbreaks of strange diseases. I dont think he is bothered unless it happens in CABA.
UK Man He has made so many cutbacks that there are no attempts to control outbreaks of strange diseases. I dont think he is bothered unless it happens in CABA.
Seemingly the virus has been around parts of Argentina for many years. It comes and goes naturally.
Seemingly the virus has been around parts of Argentina for many years. It comes and goes naturally.
This outbreak seems to be a little strange though. I would have thought the government would have been a little more involved.
This outbreak seems to be a little strange though. I would have thought the government would have been a little more involved.
You'll know more than me as I rarely pay attention to any Argie news/politics.
You'll know more than me as I rarely pay attention to any Argie news/politics.
Why not? You do live here after all.
Why not? You do live here after all.
Don't pay attention to the missus when she starts rabbiting on about politics either.
The CNN article that UK Man posted does a good job of explaining the difference between the city mice who transmit a different variety of Hantavirus, vs the rural Andes variety which is what these passengers brought on board.
To me, it sounds like any investigation will be to confirm mice populations. There is no need for urgency since they have no confirmed cases in the province. They already know the mountainous provinces in Argentina and Chile, are who have a documented number of cases every year. There is nothing anything anyone can do to stop this Andes variant, except telling people to be cautious when stepping off the rural routes onto leaf litter, tall overgrowth, and other mice friendly areas.
I also read somewhere about the cruise operator. They are known for their strict protocols and mostly cater to environmental and nature seeking clients who will follow those protocols. Since those best practices are designed to prevent contamination at different ports of call as they travel around. Not necessarily to prevent this type of human outbreak. For example, they take extra steps to be sure no one places their bags on the ground during daily guided trips, and wash footwear before reboarding.
The duo, both aged 69, spent 48 hours in the city before they set sail, it is believed.
The Dutch man first displayed symptoms of the virus five days later on April 6, while at sea, Petrina noted.
"The time frames do not correspond to a possible infection in Ushuaia," Petrina said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the incubation period – the time between infection and the onset of symptoms – for hantavirus is between one and six weeks.
But it is typically between two and three weeks, WHO technical officer Anais Legand told the AFP news agency.
