Tierra del Fuego Health official: 'Almost zero' chance Dutch man got hantavirus in Ushuaia

Lead

A Tierra del Fuego Province health official said on Friday that there is an “almost zero” chance that a Dutch man who died from hantavirus contracted the disease in Ushuaia, the Argentine city where the cruise ship MV Hondius departed on April 1. Juan Petrina, director of epidemiology for the province, based his assessment on the virus’s incubation period and the timeline of the man’s symptoms.

The Dutch man and his wife, both aged 69, spent 48 hours in Ushuaia before boarding the ship. The man first showed symptoms on April 6, five days later, while at sea. “The time frames do not correspond to a possible infection in Ushuaia,” Petrina said, as reported by the Buenos Aires Times and the South China Morning Post.

Coverage Comparison

Multiple outlets have covered the outbreak on the MV Hondius, which killed three passengers. The ship, with 88 passengers and 59 crew members, set sail from Ushuaia on April 1 bound for Cape Verde. The Buenos Aires Times and the South China Morning Post both reported that the Andes strain of hantavirus was detected among infected passengers.

The Guardian, citing the World Health Organization, reported that the WHO has ruled out an epidemic. The same outlet noted that Argentina has recorded 101 hantavirus cases and 32 deaths since July last year, figures that are higher than previous epidemiological seasons.

While the Buenos Aires Times quoted an expert saying that Argentina has seen an increase in cases but not an outbreak, The Guardian highlighted that the cruise ship cluster has drawn renewed attention to the Andes strain’s rare ability to spread from person to person.

Key Claims

• Three passengers on the MV Hondius died from hantavirus, with two deaths confirmed as related to the virus, according to multiple sources.
• The Andes strain of hantavirus is found mainly in parts of Argentina and Chile, and is the only strain known to transmit person-to-person, as reported by The Guardian and the Buenos Aires Times.
• Argentina has recorded 101 hantavirus cases and 32 deaths since July last year, a figure reported by The Guardian.
• The World Health Organization has ruled out an epidemic, according to The Guardian.
• The incubation period for hantavirus is between one and six weeks, per the WHO, as cited by the Buenos Aires Times and the South China Morning Post.
• A provincial health official said the chance that the Dutch man contracted the disease in Ushuaia is “almost zero,” based on the incubation period and the timeline of symptoms, as reported by the Buenos Aires Times and the South China Morning Post.

Perspectives

Tierra del Fuego Province health officials: Juan Petrina, director of epidemiology, argues that the incubation period and the man’s symptom onset make Ushuaia an unlikely source. He noted that there has been no reported hantavirus case in the province, and that the ship underwent health inspections without issues.

Scientists and experts: Biologist Raúl González Ittig, from the National University of Córdoba, said there is “nothing atypical” about the increase in cases in Argentina, attributing it to environmental factors like El Niño rains boosting rodent populations. He also stated that “there has never been a single report of hantavirus” in Tierra del Fuego, supporting the low likelihood of infection in Ushuaia. Infectious disease specialist Roberto Debbag noted that Argentina is “used to dealing with hantavirus” and that nothing has significantly changed since the 1996 outbreaks.