Argentina: 2026 Hantavirus

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.vax-before-travel.com/20...ditional-lives

Argentina's Deadly Rodent-Borne Virus Outbreak Claims Additional Lives
February 26, 2026 • 11:23 am CST

(Vax-Before-Travel News)

Although hantaviruses have been recognized in the Americas since the late 20th century, they have now been identified in almost all Central and South American countries.

Recently, health authorities in the Argentine Republic have reported a concerning increase in hantavirus infections, with 19 confirmed cases since the beginning of 2026.

This data brings the total to 79 cases since the start of the current epidemiological season in July 2025, placing the country above the outbreak alert threshold.

In 2025, 86 cases were recorded, resulting in 28 deaths (33.6% fatality rate).

Located in the southern tip of South America, Argentina's Central and Southern regions have been hit hardest, accounting for the majority of infections. This area includes provinces such as Buenos Aires, Salta, Entre Ríos, Río Negro, and Jujuy.

Nationally, the National Epidemiological Surveillance System noted five new cases in the week ending February 14, 2026, primarily in Buenos Aires Province. At least five deaths have been confirmed in 2026...

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Text and image translated by Google

Epidemiology Department

BEN 805 SE 15 (April 12-18, 2026)

Hantavirus
Median Cumulative 2022–2025: 20
Cumulative 2026: 37
Situation so far this year: Above average
Last 4 weeks: Below average

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https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2026/01/ben_805_se_15_2842026.pdf

https://www.argentina.gob.ar/salud/boletin-epidemiologico-nacional/boletines-2026

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Translation Google

What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a serious acute viral disease caused by the Hanta virus. Wild mice (primarily long-tailed mice) are the reservoirs for this virus and transmit it to humans by shedding the virus in their saliva, feces, and urine.

How is it transmitted?

• By inhalation: This occurs when we breathe in places (sheds, orchards, pastures) where the feces or urine of infected rodents released the virus, contaminating the environment.
• Through direct contact: By touching infected live or dead rodents, or the feces or urine of these rodents.
• By bites: By being bitten by infected rodents.
• Human-to-human transmission: it can be transmitted between people through close contact with an infected person during the first few days of symptoms, via the airway.

...

https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sinagir...tes/hantavirus

[Michael Coston]

Argentina MOH: Statement and Special Report On Recent Hantavirus Activity




National Epidemiological Surveillance System (BEN) Week 16


#19,141


While the origins of the hantavirus infection currently spreading aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic remain unknown, the ship embarked from an Argentine port on April 1st, making the Andes Virus a potential suspect.

Yesterday, the Argentine MOH released a statement, which provides us with additional information on the ship's recent itinerary, along with a recap of hantavirus cases in the region.

First some (translated) excerpts from the statement:

The Ministry of Health is monitoring, along with international organizations, the hantavirus cases reported on the MV Hondius ship.

The national health ministry is maintaining a technical and epidemiological exchange with international and provincial authorities to gather official information on the confirmed cases on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship.

(Excerpt)

On May 2, our country's National Centre for Epidemiology received notification of a cluster of severe acute respiratory illnesses on board the cruise ship, including three deaths and one passenger with laboratory confirmation of hantavirus. The transmission route is currently unknown, and further testing is ongoing at the South African National Reference Laboratory to identify the strain and origin of the outbreak. The crew and passengers remain in isolation, and those affected have been transferred to receive the necessary medical care.

The vessel, which had departed from Montevideo, entered the port of Ushuaia on November 16, 2025. From there, it made several coastal voyages between Ushuaia, the Antarctic sector, and the islands of the South Atlantic.

On April 1, 2026, it set sail for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Saint Helena, and other points in the South Atlantic. The province of Tierra del Fuego reported no significant health-related events.

It is worth noting that Tierra del Fuego has no hantavirus and has not registered any cases since this disease was added to the list of notifiable events in our country in 1996. Its neighboring province, Santa Cruz, only registered one case in 2004. Currently, the Southern region is in a safe zone, with only 10 cases reported in Neuquén, Río Negro, and Chubut during the 2025-2026 season, which began on July 29 of last year.

(Continue . . . )

While the ship has been operating out of a region of the country without any history of hantavirus activity, it is always possible a passenger was exposed somewhere else prior to boarding the ship.


Yesterday the Argentine MOH released an update to their most recent Epidemiological bulletin, with a special focus on Hantavirus activity (and Mpox). I've provided a translation of the hantavirus section below.

Special Report: Hantavirus

On May 2, the Netherlands National Focal Point (NFP) notified the Argentine NFP of a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship with 147 passengers and crew from 23 different countries. The ship had departed from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, on April 1 and was following a route through the South Atlantic with multiple stops. The ship is currently off the coast of Cape Verde, the country that will lead the response to the outbreak.

To date, a total of 6 cases have been identified, of which 3 have resulted in death. All passengers and crew are in isolation and maintaining the necessary social distancing to prevent further infections. Patients with compatible symptoms have been transferred to receive appropriate medical care. The National Ministry of Health is in contact with the National Epidemiological Surveillance Centers (NECs) of the countries involved to gather information on the cases' itineraries prior to boarding, the type of contact they had on the cruise ship, and the identification of close contacts. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (ANLIS) "Carlos G. Malbrán" has also offered advice regarding laboratory diagnosis and the possibility of performing sequencing and genomic analysis of the samples.

Given this situation, the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (BEN) reports that since epidemiological week 13, 9 new cases have been reported nationwide, located in Buenos Aires Province (4 cases), Salta (3 cases), Jujuy (1 case), and Chubut (1 case). So far this year, 42 new cases have been reported, and since the beginning of the season (epidemiological week 27 of 2025), the total number of confirmed cases has reached 101.

The majority are concentrated in the Central region, with Buenos Aires Province reporting the most confirmed cases (42). However, the highest incidence rate corresponds to the Northwest region (0.60 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), where 36 confirmed cases have been registered, 83% of which are concentrated in Salta.

Regarding the cases reported in the Southern region, the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (BEN) reports that one of the confirmed cases in Río Negro corresponds to the town of Río Colorado, located outside the historically endemic areas for hantavirus. In this context, environmental investigations were carried out in this town and other neighboring areas, and four potential exposure sites were identified. No species known to be reservoirs of pathogenic hantavirus were captured, and the specimens obtained tested serologically negative. Based on these findings, the jurisdictions were recommended to implement periodic environmental monitoring to assess the composition of rodent populations during periods of peak abundance and to identify the environments associated with reservoir species.

Finally, during the current season, an intrafamilial cluster was recorded in the town of Cerro Centinela (Chubut), involving three related cases (cohabiting individuals) with sequential symptom onset dates.

Following notification of the index case, the province conducted an environmental focus study and recorded the presence of wild rodents known as hantavirus reservoirs. One of the captured specimens even tested positive for the hantavirus. The epidemiological characteristics of the event raised suspicion of person-to-person transmission, prompting genomic analysis of the human samples. The results indicated that the sequences corresponded to the Andes virus, with a 99.99% similarity among the three cases analyzed. The results of the genomic sequencing of the virus detected in the seropositive rodent are still pending.

(Continue . . . )


As the following MOH graphic illustrates, hantavirus activity tends to peak in the summer in Argentina (Nov-Dec-Jan), and reaches its nadir in the winter (May-Jun-Jul). It is still fairly active in March and April.


We'll know a lot more once sequencing of the virus is complete, which will hopefully become available this week.
Stay tuned.


https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/...d-special.html

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/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tierra_del_Fuego_Province,_Argentina
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https://www.facebook.com/saludtdf/posts/comunicado-ante-la-informaci%C3%B3n-difundida-sobre-un-presunto-brote-de-hantavirosis/1507463438094185/

https://www.facebook.com/saludtdf/?locale=es_LA

[sharon sanders]

Please see this thread. The cruise ship journey originated in Argentina:

Cruise ship - Hantavirus confirmed in 2 passengers, 5 more suspected cases - 3 total cruise deaths (incl. 1 of the confirmed cases) - May 3+ - Several govs & WHO investigating

[sharon sanders]

hat tip Toaster2

Hantavirus-related death in a 15-year-old patient in Chubut Province, Argentina; third case in a family cluster


Thu 09 Apr 2026

https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=f618e848-64f8-4995-9ba5-647f0a69e931&eventid=67590285-d2f3-4421-891e-f033ee9fd746&diseases=db911c58-858e-4fcd-a8da-813a5eb6ed5a&startDate=2026-03-15&endDate=2026-03-25

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Translation Google

Health Ministry maintains and strengthens epidemiological surveillance of hantavirus in the country

The Ministry of Health of the Nation met with health authorities from the 24 jurisdictions to update information related to the outbreak that occurred on board the Dutch cruise ship and to strengthen monitoring actions.

May 7, 2026

The national health ministry held a meeting with epidemiology experts from health ministries across the country to update information on the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius and coordinate surveillance efforts nationwide. During the meeting, they reviewed the background of the cases, shared data on the possible index case's movements since entering the country last November, discussed the detected strain, and reviewed the progress of confirmed and suspected cases.

National authorities confirmed that, based on the information provided so far by the countries involved and the relevant national agencies, it is not possible to confirm the origin of the infection. However, it was noted that genomic sequencing performed on one of the patients hospitalized in South Africa identified the hantavirus variant as the Andes strain, which is present in Chubut, Río Negro, and Neuquén provinces, as well as southern Chile. Further studies are currently underway to determine its possible geographic origin and its relationship to other strains involved in human-to-human transmission.

Regarding the reconstruction of the travel routes of the first travelers who presented symptoms, the national health ministry shared the information gathered so far. For their part, the jurisdictions shared the work done to identify the travelers' itineraries within their territories and requested support from the national government to facilitate the collection of additional data.

Finally, the jurisdictions were reminded of the need to intensify ongoing epidemiological surveillance, and the importance of raising awareness among healthcare teams to improve the detection and assessment of cases with symptoms consistent with this disease was emphasized. So far this year, 42 cases of hantavirus have been reported in the country, and since the beginning of the season (epidemiological week 27 of 2025), the total number of confirmed cases has reached 101. Regarding the cases reported in the Southern region, this year an intrafamilial cluster was recorded in the town of Cerro Centinela (Chubut), involving three related cases (cohabitants) with sequential symptom onset dates, corresponding to the Andes virus.

The meeting was chaired by the head of the Cabinet of Advisors, Roberto Olivieri Pinto; the Secretary of Health Management, Saúl Flores; and the Director of the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes “Dr. Carlos Malbrán” (ANLIS-Malbrán), Claudia Perandones. Also present were the Undersecretary of Epidemiological Surveillance, Health Information and Statistics, Susana Azurmendi; the National Director of International Relations, Mariana Vázquez Durand; the Director of Epidemiology, Cecilia González Lebrero; the Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INEI), Daniel Cisterna; the Head of the Molecular Biology Service at INEI, Valeria Paula Martínez; and the Head of the Epidemiology Department at ANLIS-Malbrán, Carlos Goyo Giovacchini.

https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/salud-sostiene-y-refuerza-la-vigilancia-epidemiologica-de-hantavirus-en-el-pais

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Translation Google

Argentine biologists will begin searching for the presence of a hantavirus vector in Ushuaia next week.

Argentine scientists will begin efforts next week in Ushuaia to determine if the mouse that transmits hantavirus is present in that southern city, provincial authorities announced Thursday.

By AFP May 14, 2026 At DePlaneta

The MV Hondius cruise ship set sail from Ushuaia on April 1st, where an outbreak of that rare disease was declared, sparking alarm worldwide with fatal cases and infections in several countries.

Biologists from the Carlos Malbrán Institute in Buenos Aires will work on the ground alongside experts from the province of Tierra del Fuego to collect samples and send them to the laboratory, a task that will take several days.

From there, it is estimated that the results will be ready in "about four weeks," explained Juan Petrina, the Director of Epidemiology for Tierra del Fuego, at a press conference.

Argentina's southernmost province has never registered any cases of hantavirus. The time and place of the first infection among the ship's passengers have not yet been determined.

"The epidemiological situation in the area has not changed much; we have had no cases, and 45 days have passed since the ship set sail," Petrina said.

In southern Argentina and Chile, the rodent reservoir for the Andes strain of the virus is the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). This strain has been identified as the source of the infections on the cruise ship.

https://diarioelsalvador.com/biologos-argentinos-buscaran-si-hay-vector-de-hantavirus-en-ushuaia-desde-la-semana-proxima/790457/

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Translation Google

Disturbing finding by the Malbrán mission investigating the hantavirus from the cruise ship in Tierra del Fuego

They reported that they have not yet found any long-tailed mice, but they have found others that can carry the virus.

However, it is not known whether these mice can transmit the disease.

Emilia Vexler
21/05/2026 04:01

On the second day of collecting what was captured in the traps placed in two sectors of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, the scientist who leads the Malbrán health mission to find the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, confirmed to Clarín that "for now" they did not find a single long-tailed mouse (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus), the reservoir in which the Andes virus can multiply and be transmitted.

But they did find two "related species" that they categorized as "positive," meaning that they may have the "hanta" virus, although they do not know if they are capable of transmitting the virus.

There is still no link connecting Ushuaia, where the ship departed from, with the Dutch bird-loving couple who were the first to die.

One more day of mouse collection is needed, in an operation that began on Monday to gather information about the start of a chain of infections that left three passengers dead, a total of 11 people infected and dozens more in quarantine.

Of the 200 traps, rodents were caught in between 5% and 10% . This is not insignificant, but rather typical for this type of operation.

In the field laboratory set up literally in the forest, blood is drawn from the mice to then test for an initial immune response, which reveals whether each rodent was or is infected.

“It’s very generic; it doesn’t directly detect the virus, but rather evidence that the virus is or was present. We take the sample, keep it refrigerated, and store it under maximum biosafety conditions. At the end of the three-day collection period, all the samples are sent together to Buenos Aires, where they are analyzed to determine if they are positive for hantavirus or not,” explains Carla Bellomo, a researcher at the Hantavirus Laboratory of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INEI) of the Malbrán Institute, to Clarín , just before the collection began.

While awaiting those final results—between 24 and 48 hours for the first immune response test, conducted in a more complex laboratory, and several more days for confirmation of the hantavirus type—the key finding today is that there was no trace of the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, a reservoir for the Andes virus and also identified in other studies conducted in Tierra del Fuego. However, the other two “suspected” mouse species were found. This finding, for now, leads to open conclusions.

“We don’t know if these two positive species act as reservoirs or not. We don’t know if they have an accidental infection with the virus, but are unable to transmit it,” Bellomo points out. These species are Abrothrix hirta and Abrothrix olivacea, the olive and long-haired mice, respectively. “The presence of these types of mice is one thing, but their infection is another,” he emphasizes.

Based on her expertise, the biologist points out that “these species live in the exact same place, they have constant contact, so it’s very likely that if there is, for example, an infected long-tailed mouse, it will transmit the virus to these other mice, but those two mice aren’t necessarily capable of transmitting it , so the chain of infection would be broken. That’s what hasn’t been proven yet.” The two species found are only “associated” with hantavirus.

Rodents are nocturnal, so the traps are left overnight and checked in the morning to see if any mice have been caught. Although they are Sherman-style traps, meaning live capture, these mice are not released back into the wild. In addition to blood, samples are taken from all their organs, because otherwise the genomic sequencing of the virus would not be possible.

She, along with two other biologists from the Malbrán Institute, Sebastián Kehl and Julián Pighin, traveled to Tierra del Fuego following the route taken by Dutch tourists who were documenting birds. They may have visited various locations to photograph scavengers, such as the city's landfill, which had been the focus of international media attention as a potential source of infection.

But the specialists actually traveled there only because that province had never had hantavirus, nor any record of human-to-human transmission of the Andes virus, the only one that is transmitted between people, which meant the health system lacked the expertise to treat it. The Patagonian provinces that are endemic, such as Neuquén, where the couple also visited, send samples to Buenos Aires with their own trained teams.

Being outdoors, in a completely open space, such as a forest trail or even the garbage dump itself, is it possible for an infected rodent to have transmitted the virus to a cruise ship passenger? “In the case of the Andes virus, it has to be that a person was infected in a wild area and then, through very close contact, infected another person. That person who was infected in a wild area has to have had relatively close contact with the virus ; it's not something you catch just by walking on a trail. There has to have been some other action that brought them close to the infected mouse or its urine, feces, or saliva. The probability is very low,” he clarifies.

Regarding the landfill itself, Bellomo considers it an “unusual place” for the mice they are looking for. “There are usually rats and mice of a different species than the one that transmits the Andes virus. But we are going to sample in all the places where necessary, to find out if hantavirus is present.”

The first "sensitive" test to determine if the captured mice are infected takes between 24 and 48 hours from the time the samples arrive in Buenos Aires. This depends on the workload of the Malbrán Institute laboratory. If any mice test positive, the virus analysis, he says, "is much more complex and takes longer."

It is crucial that the sample has been preserved in good conditions, "and that it has a sufficient quantity of virus to be able to detect the sequence and compare it with the genomic sequence of the virus that was extracted from the patient in the index case, and in that case you will be able to see the link, let's say, of the contagion on the cruise ship," he concludes.

https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/hallazgo-inquietante-mision-malbran-investiga-hantavirus-crucero-tierra-fuego_0_ntEyY8v4oP.html

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Translation Google

Update to the National Epidemiological Bulletin for week No. 20

This document provides strategic information on the country's epidemiological situation. This edition includes the third report on wastewater from the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) prepared by ANLIS Malbrán and an epidemiological update on hantavirus.

June 2, 2026
...
Finally, regarding hantavirus surveillance, two new cases were reported during epidemiological week 20, one in the province of Salta and the other in the town of Arrecifes, in the province of Buenos Aires. The total number of confirmed cases during 2026 is 47, and the cumulative total for the 2025-2026 season (epidemiological week 27/2025 to 20/2026) is 107 cases, located mainly in Buenos Aires (44), Salta (31), Santa Fe (7), Jujuy (7), Río Negro (6), Entre Ríos (5), and Chubut (5). While the Central region accounts for 52% of the cases (56), primarily in the province of Buenos Aires, the Northwest region has the highest incidence rate in the country (0.63 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), with 81% of these cases concentrated in the province of Salta.
...

https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/actualizacion-del-boletin-epidemiologico-nacional-de-la-semana-ndeg-20