The Argentine city that lives off tourism and denies being the origin of the hantavirus outbreak

Argentina has become a key point on the map to explain the hantavirus outbreak identified on board the cruise ship MV Hondius. The ship departed from the southernmost city in the Latin American country, Ushuaia, in the province of Tierra del Fuego. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the first cases and the first deaths related to the infection, much effort has been invested in tracing the origin of this outbreak, unknown in a large part of the world, but not in the Andes mountain range area, where the population coexists with it and from which the strain's name originates. Both the Argentine government and the government of Tierra del Fuego province are investigating how the focus could have been declared; however, local administration officials state that the possibility of the first contagion being in Ushuaia is "practically nil", as it is not an endemic area for hantavirus. In fact, there has never been a registered case in Ushuaia. "We are experiencing a smear campaign," say the city government with some concern. The reason is clear: nearly 21% of Ushuaia's population lives directly or indirectly from tourism. The historical endemic area of the Andes strain of hantavirus is a bit further north, in Andean and still Patagonian provinces such as Neuquén, Río Negro, and Chubut. There is also incidence in the northwest of the country, in the province of Salta.Hantavirus is transmitted by contact with the long-tailed mouse, a wild animal that lives in rural and mountainous areas, through excrement or urine. The most common route of transmission is the inhalation of contaminated particles that remain suspended in the air when sheds are swept in country houses, or when firewood or garbage is moved in enclosed spaces. That is why the government of Tierra del Fuego wants to "disregard the rumor" that patients zero would have been contaminated at the landfill while observing birds. "It is what is said, but we do not have the source, and the Ministry of Health cannot confirm it; therefore, it is only a rumor," they state.Calm and strict protocols

Be that as it may, in Argentina hantavirus is a well-known disease and treated with extreme caution. Axel Tomás, an infectologist at the University of Córdoba, explains to ARA that isolation protocols are very strict, and that for this reason hantavirus has never been a massive public health problem in the country. In this regard, the expert reinforces that the disembarkation of the cruise ship in the Canary Islands is key: What is indeed particular about the Andes strain is its high lethality —which is above 30%— and the fact that it is transmitted between humans, and not only from mice to humans, as was thought until 2018, when a case in the province of Chubut proved paradigmatic for the scientists investigating it: 34 people got infected at a birthday party and 11 died. It was confirmed there that, indeed, the Andean variant can be transmitted from person to person.

Although in Argentina the virus is not exceptional, a significant increase in cases is observed over the last few years; a total of 101 infections have been recorded from June last year until today, a figure that doubles that of the same period last year. In the last five years, hantavirus cases have tripled. "We are facing a possible change in the epidemiological scenario that goes hand in hand with climate change," says Tomás. Experts agree that the increase in temperatures and rainfall brings new plants and seeds thanks to which mice can proliferate, and it also modifies migratory processes, causing them to reach areas where they did not previously reach. In this regard, another disease typical of tropical latitudes that has soared in Argentina in recent years has been dengue.Milei, firm against the WHO

Amidst the international alarm, the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged Argentina and the United States to rejoin the organization: "Viruses do not care about our politics or our borders," he said. In response, Argentina's Ministry of Health issued a statement reinforcing its position. "The WHO is once again prioritizing politics over evidence and is trying to use an extraordinary health event to condition a sovereign decision by Argentina," it stated. Milei's government considers that it is not necessary to be part of an international organization to maintain technical cooperation with different countries, as it claims to be doing with the shipment of genetic material of the virus, rapid detection kits and protocols to detect and control the disease. According to sources from the Ministry of Health consulted by ARA, Milei's decision to leave the WHO is non-negotiable; it was made more than a year ago, following the Argentine president's disagreement with the organization's management during the coronavirus pandemic. "We do not need intermediaries to have dialogue with other countries," they conclude.