Particle.news
Download on the App Store

15-Year-Old in Chubut Dies of Hantavirus Tied to Family Cluster

Officials reinforced on-the-ground monitoring after the death, with no contacts identified outside the household.

Overview

  • The adolescent from Cerro Centinela died Tuesday after intensive care at Hospital Zonal de Esquel, provincial health officials said.
  • She had been under epidemiological surveillance for about a month as a close contact in a household outbreak first reported on March 2 in a 57-year-old woman.
  • Authorities report the teenager did not add external close contacts beyond the family group that was already isolated and monitored.
  • Chubut’s Health Secretariat activated protocols, expanded field teams in Cerro Centinela and Esquel, and urged identified contacts to follow medical instructions.
  • Hantavirus mainly spreads from wild rodents through inhaled particles from urine, feces, or saliva, and Argentina’s 2025 fatality rate of 33.6% led the national Health Ministry to prioritize case follow-up and issue wider alerts.