Overview
- A team from the Malbrán institute will trap rodents around Ushuaia next week, with results expected in about four weeks, according to the provincial epidemiology director.
- WHO figures released May 13 report 11 confirmed cases, including three deaths, from the MV Hondius outbreak that began after the ship left Ushuaia on April 1.
- Tests so far on rodents in Tierra del Fuego have been negative for hantavirus, and officials say the long‑tailed mouse that carries the Andes strain is not present in the province.
- Scientists will look for a Patagonian relative of the long‑tailed mouse and assess whether that local species could host and shed the virus.
- Experts say person‑to‑person spread of the Andes strain occurs only in close, prolonged contact and report no evidence of a new mutation, while the Dutch index patient’s travel across Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay leaves the place of exposure uncertain.