Argentina Official Says ‘Almost Zero’ Chance Dutchman Contracted Hantavirus in Ushuaia

A provincial health official in Argentina said there is an “almost zero” chance that the Dutchman linked to the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius contracted the disease in the Argentine port of Ushuaia.

“Initially, investigators looked for mice as the source of the infection, but this may have been the wrong lead”

EL PAÍS English

Juan Petrina, director of epidemiology for Tierra del Fuego province, told reporters on May 8 that his assessment was based on the virus’ incubation period and that “The time frames do not correspond to a possible infection in Ushuaia.”

EL PAÍS English

The Dutchman and his wife, both of whom died of the virus, boarded the Hondius in Ushuaia on April 1, spent 48 hours in the city, and the Dutchman first displayed symptoms on April 6 while at sea.

The Straits Times also cited the World Health Organization’s incubation range for hantavirus as between one and six weeks, while noting that it is typically between two and three weeks.

The Straits Times reported that authorities were unable to confirm media reports that the Dutch couple visited a dump in Ushuaia where they could have been infected by rodents.

The Florida Today timeline said that as of May 7, five people had been confirmed to have hantavirus and three others were suspected, and it said the WHO confirmed the strain in the latest outbreak as the Andes virus.

It reported that the outbreak is theorized to have started with a passenger who boarded the vessel after, and it said the Argentine government believes the male passenger and his wife contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing at a landfill in Ushuaia before boarding the ship.

Florida Today

Florida Today also stated that the ship was sailing toward the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain and was expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife during the "early hours" of May 10, according to a May 7 update.

The Independent described the government’s leading hypothesis as that the Dutch couple contracted the illness during a bird-watching outing in Ushuaia, where authorities said they visited a landfill site exposed to rodents carrying the infection.

The Independent added that the World Health Organisation said eight suspected cases had been linked to the boat, with five confirmed, and it quoted UKHSA saying “the risk to the general public remains very low.”

NBC 5 Chicago said health authorities across four continents were trying to track down and monitor passengers who disembarked the ship before the outbreak was detected, after it left three passengers dead and sickened others.

“An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three passengers dead and sickened others, with health authorities across four continents trying to track down and monitor passengers who disembarked the ship before its deadly outbreak was detected”

NBC 5 Chicago

It reported that at least five people who were on the ship were infected with a hantavirus found in South America called the Andes virus, and it said the Andes virus is the only variant described as capable of limited human-to-human transmission.

The Independent reported that two people who had returned to the UK from the MV Hondius were asked to self-isolate, and it said UKHSA was supporting a small number of individuals identified as close contacts who were also self-isolating.

The Straits Times said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the couple visited sites where the species of rat known to carry the Andes strain was present, while Chile ruled out the possibility they became infected there.

NBC 5 Chicago also quoted Maria Van Kerkhove saying, “This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” as authorities continued tracing contacts and monitoring symptoms.