In Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, a hunt for the rodent carrier of hantavirus
In Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, a scientific mission has begun to search for rodents that may carry hantavirus following an outbreak linked to a cruise ship. The mission aims to determine if local rodent species are infected, as three deaths have raised concerns about the virus's presence in the region. Local officials maintain that there have been no reported cases of hantavirus in Tierra del Fuego for 30 years, despite the recent fatalities.
- ▪A scientific mission started on May 18 to search for hantavirus-carrying rodents in Tierra del Fuego.
- ▪The outbreak on a cruise ship led to three deaths, raising global alarm about the virus.
- ▪Local officials assert that there have been no hantavirus cases in the province for 30 years.
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In Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, a hunt for the rodent carrier of hantavirusSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxAn aerial view of Ushuaia, Argentina, on May 13. The first person to die from the disease had spent 48 hours in the city with his wife before embarking on the cruise.PHOTO: AFPPublished May 18, 2026, 01:35 PMUpdated May 18, 2026, 01:35 PMUSHUAIA, Argentina - A scientific mission was set to kick off the search on May 18 for rodents that may be hantavirus carriers after an outbreak on a cruise ship departed this region at the southern tip of Argentina on April 1.For several days, biologists from Buenos Aires will set traps at various locations on the southern island of Tierra del Fuego to analyse whether the captured rodents carry the Andes strain of the…
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