90-Second Read: Scientists testing rodents for Hantavirus in Argentina’s famous wine region of Mendoza after cruise ship outbreak

The rare outbreak on the MV Hondius was caused by the Andes Hantavirus, a disease carried by rodents endemic to Argentina and Chile. As repatriated cruise passengers from more than 20 countries have disembarked and entered specialised quarantine centres, epidemiologists are meticulously examining the 11 confirmed Hantavirus cases. Shortly after news of the outbreak emerged, Argentina's Health Ministry identified Ushuaia as a possible source of the contagion and last month sent investigators from the Malbran government research institute to collect rodent samples in various wooded areas around the city.

Crucially, it is the only Hantavirus thought to be capable of human-to-human transmission in some cases, making the investigation particularly urgent. While the Andes Hantavirus infects a few dozen people every year in the Patagonian region of Argentina further north, it has never been detected in Ushuaia or the wider archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. On Friday, the ministry said specialists from Malbran, together with U.S. counterparts at the CDC, were preparing to test rodents for the Hantavirus in the city of Malargüe, Mendoza from June 8-12.

A spokesperson for the Malbran Institute confirmed that the Dutch couple visited Malargüe as they drove through the winemaking region of Mendoza to the northeastern province of Misiones during the last leg of their trip in Argentina. The World Health Organization has made clear that, given the low risk of transmission, the Hantavirus will not become a pandemic threat. This move comes as laboratory results are still awaited from Ushuaia, the southernmost city where the MV Hondius cruise began.