health • May. 7, 2026

Hantavirus Surge in Argentina Raises Concerns After Cruise Ship Health Incident

Argentina is reporting an increase in hantavirus infections following a cruise ship-related health scare, raising public concern over the spread of the rare viral disease and ongoing monitoring efforts by health officials.

Health officials and infectious disease experts in Argentina are urgently investigating whether the country is the origin of a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to an Atlantic cruise ship, as concerns grow over a sharp rise in infections that researchers say may be connected to climate change. The outbreak has drawn international attention after several passengers aboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for the Andes virus, a strain of hantavirus found in South America that can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory disease with a high fatality rate. The ship had departed for Antarctica from the southern Argentine city of Ushuaia, often referred to as the “end of the world.” Authorities confirmed that three passengers have died during the outbreak.

According to the World Health Organization, the first victim was a 70-year-old Dutch man who died on April 11. His 69-year-old wife died on April 26, followed by the death of a German woman on May 2. Health officials are now attempting to determine where and when the passengers contracted the virus.

Investigators are tracing the travel history of infected passengers across Argentina before they boarded the cruise on April 1. Argentine authorities said they plan to identify close contacts, isolate anyone potentially exposed, and actively monitor for additional infections as part of efforts to prevent further spread. The investigation has become more complicated because hantavirus can incubate for anywhere between one and eight weeks.

This means the passengers could have contracted the virus before leaving Argentina, during the voyage to Antarctica, or while stopping at remote South Atlantic islands during the cruise. The province of Tierra del Fuego, where the cruise ship was docked before departure, has never previously recorded a hantavirus case. However, health investigators believe the Dutch couple may have become infected during a bird-watching excursion in Ushuaia or while traveling through the forested regions of Patagonia in southern Argentina, where some hantavirus infections have been reported in recent years.

Two Argentine investigators involved in the case, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said authorities are carefully retracing the tourists’ movements through areas known for rodent activity. Before boarding the ship, the Dutch couple had reportedly traveled extensively through parts of Argentina and neighboring Chile. Experts say Argentina has become increasingly vulnerable to hantavirus outbreaks due to environmental changes associated with global warming.

Infectious disease specialist Hugo Pizzi warned that climate change is altering ecosystems across the country, allowing rodents that carry the virus to survive and reproduce in new regions. “Argentina has become more tropical because of climate change, and that has brought disruptions, like dengue and yellow fever, but also new tropical plants that produce seeds for mice to proliferate,” Pizzi said. “There is no doubt that as time goes by, the hantavirus is spreading more and more.” Argentina already records the highest incidence of hantavirus in Latin America, according to the WHO.

The Argentine Health Ministry reported 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025, nearly double the number recorded during the same period a year earlier. Health officials said the mortality rate has also risen sharply. Nearly one-third of infected patients died over the past year, significantly higher than the average mortality rate recorded during the previous five years.

Hantavirus mainly spreads when people come into contact with infected rodent waste such as droppings, urine, or saliva. The virus can enter the body when tiny contaminated particles mix with the air and are breathed in. Human-to-human transmission is considered very uncommon, but the Andes strain remains the only known form of hantavirus that can spread directly between people.

In response to the outbreak aboard the cruise ship, Argentina announced that it is sending genetic material and specialized testing equipment related to the Andes virus to several countries, including Spain, Senegal, South Africa, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom to assist with virus detection and monitoring. Scientists say climate-related weather extremes are contributing to the spread of rodent populations that carry the virus. Argentina has experienced severe droughts in recent years, followed by periods of unusually heavy rainfall.

Researchers say these fluctuations create ideal conditions for rodents to thrive. Genetics professor Raul González Ittig explained that dry conditions force rodents to migrate in search of food and water, while heavy rainfall increases vegetation growth and seed production, providing abundant food sources for mice and rats. “When precipitation increases, food availability increases, rodent populations grow, and if there are infected rodents, the chance of transmission between rodents — and eventually to humans — also increases,” Ittig said.

The geographic spread of the virus has also shifted significantly in recent years. While hantavirus cases were once concentrated mainly in Patagonia, Argentina’s Health Ministry now says 83% of infections are occurring in the country’s northern regions. Argentina’s Health Ministry had already issued nationwide alerts earlier this year following several deadly outbreaks, including in the heavily populated province of Buenos Aires Province.

Rural healthcare systems, particularly in smaller towns, have struggled to quickly diagnose and treat the disease due to limited medical resources and the virus’ flu-like early symptoms. One of the most tragic cases involved 14-year-old Rodrigo Delgado from San Andrés de Giles. His parents, Daisy Morinigo and David Delgado, first thought he was suffering from the flu after he developed a fever and body pain.

When they took him to a local doctor, he was given ibuprofen and told to rest at home. However, Rodrigo’s condition quickly became worse. He began struggling to breathe, and his family rushed him to intensive care on January 1.

Just two hours after doctors confirmed he had tested positive for hantavirus, the teenager died. His father later said the family had never imagined a simple fever could turn into such a devastating loss. But Rodrigo’s condition rapidly deteriorated as he developed severe breathing problems.

On January 1, his parents rushed him to intensive care, where he died just two hours after testing positive for hantavirus. “I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone in the world,” his father said. Health experts are now urging tourists and residents in affected regions to take extra precautions, particularly when visiting forests, rural areas, or places where rodents may be present.

Authorities continue to monitor the outbreak closely as international investigations into the cruise ship infections remain ongoing..