Argentina probes hantavirus source after deadly cruise outbreak

Health authorities in Argentina are trying to determine whether the country is linked to a hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people aboard an Atlantic cruise ship, as investigators trace the origins of the infection.

The Argentine Ministry of Health said it will deploy teams to Ushuaia to capture and test rodents — the primary carriers of the virus — “in areas linked to the route” taken by a Dutch couple who later died.

So far, three fatalities have been confirmed: the Dutch couple and a German national. According to the World Health Organization, a total of eight cases are under investigation. “As of 6 May, there are 8 cases, 3 of whom are confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The agency is focusing on containment and coordination across countries. “WHO will continue to work with countries to ensure that the patients, contacts, passengers and crew have the information and support they need to stay safe and prevent spread.”

The cruise ship, which had been held off the coast of Cape Verde since Sunday, departed for Spain on Wednesday after three infected passengers were evacuated, two in serious condition. Tedros said they would be transported to the Netherlands for treatment.

Health officials stress that the broader public risk remains limited. Unlike highly transmissible respiratory viruses, hantavirus spreads far more slowly and typically requires close physical contact. “When we say close contact [for human-to-human transmission], we mean very close physical contact, whether it’s sharing a bunk room or sharing a cabin, providing medical care, for example, [that is] very, very different to COVID and very different to influenza,” said Maria Van Kerkhove.

The strain in question is likely the Andes virus, a variant found in South America that can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a severe respiratory illness with a high fatality rate.

Argentina is also coordinating internationally, sending diagnostic materials and treatment guidance to laboratories in Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, reflecting the cross-border nature of the incident.

The outbreak is unfolding against a backdrop of changing environmental conditions. Argentine officials report 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025 — roughly double the figure from the previous year — raising concerns about a broader shift in disease patterns. Infectious disease specialist Hugo Pizzi linked the trend to climate factors, noting:

“Argentina has become more tropical because of climate change, and that has brought disruptions, like dengue and yellow fever, but also new tropical plants that produce seeds for mice to proliferate.” He added: “There is no doubt that as time goes by, the hantavirus is spreading more and more.”