Argentina investigates hantavirus outbreak on Atlantic cruise
AP News • • health
Key Points:
- Argentina is investigating whether it is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard an Atlantic cruise ship, coinciding with a surge in hantavirus cases nationwide linked to climate change effects.
- The Andes virus, a hantavirus strain in South America, causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome with a mortality rate recently rising to nearly one-third of cases; it is primarily spread through rodent excretions and rarely human-to-human.
- Passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for the Andes virus, with three deaths reported; authorities are tracing their travel history within Argentina to identify infection sources and prevent further spread.
- Climate change in Argentina has altered ecosystems, expanding rodent habitats and increasing hantavirus transmission risk, with cases now concentrated more in northern regions than before.
- Early symptoms mimic flu, complicating timely diagnosis, and rural health facilities often lack resources, as illustrated by a fatal case of a 14-year-old boy whose illness was initially misdiagnosed.
