Argentina’s hot spot for Antarctic cruises insists it didn’t cause the hantavirus outbreak
Officials say the virus likely spread before the cruise, as investigators test rodents and review travel records across Argentina and neighboring countries.
- Tierra del Fuego epidemiology director Juan Facundo Petrina stated there is an "almost zero" chance the Dutch man contracted hantavirus in Ushuaia, challenging national origin theories.
- National health authorities dispatched Malbran Institute experts on Wednesday to trap and test rats at an Ushuaia landfill, yet provincial officials argue the Andes strain has not been detected in Tierra del Fuego since 1996.
- The Dutch couple spent 48 hours in the city before sailing, Petrina noted, and the one-to-six-week incubation period makes infection in Ushuaia highly unlikely compared to other regions they visited.
- Former provincial health minister Rubén Rafael warned that associating the destination with a lethal virus could cause tourism reservations to plummet, as officials allege a broader pattern of government opacity.
- While national investigators have yet to arrive despite the announcement, independent epidemiologists point to central Patagonia as the likely outbreak source, where the Andes variant is more prevalent.
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59 Articles
Did The Hantavirus Outbreak Originate From 'The End Of The World'? Tourist Spot May Have Exposed Cruise Guests To Disease From Melting Antarctic Sea Ice
A hantavirus outbreak linked to an Antarctic expedition cruise has prompted international health investigations after several passengers aboard the MV Hondius fell ill during a voyage through the South Atlantic and Antarctic region. The Dutch-flagged vessel was later diverted to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where passengers requiring medical attention were evacuated. The outbreak has been linked to at least three deaths, including a Dutch cou…
Dutch Ornithologist Was Patient Zero on the Hantavirus Hell Cruise
Leo Schilperoord Facebook photo Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, whose birdwatching trip to South America is believed to have exposed him to hantavirus, has been identified as the “patient zero” of the deadly MV Hondius cruise outbreak. Three people have died, including Leo Schilperoord and his wife, Mirjam, and five more are suspected of having the virus. The 70-year-old birdwatcher reportedly boarded the Dutch-operated MV Hondius after vi…
As hantavirus fears mount, birders defend Argentine cruise city as avian paradise
The hantavirus outbreak on a cruise that departed from Argentina last month has cast an unwelcome spotlight on Tierra del Fuego, a region well known for its biodiversity and bird-watching, authorities and guides say
The man, traveling many months with his wife (also deceased), would be infected during a birdwatching tour in Argentina at the end of March
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