Argentina intends to send a team of its scientists to the coastal city of Ushuaia in the south of the country next week to determine whether the Hanta virus is present there or not, according to what the Argentine health authorities announced yesterday, Thursday.
This comes within the framework of Argentina’s effort to get rid of the stigma of the city – which is a unique international tourist destination – as the “origin” of the Hanta virus outbreak on board the “MV Hondius” cruise ship, which left the city 45 days ago.
The cruise ship MV Hondius, which witnessed a rare outbreak of the Hanta virus on board, resulting in the death of 3 people and sparking an international health scare, departed from Ushuaia on April 1.
The World Health Organization believes that the first infection occurred before the cruise ship began, followed by human-to-human transmission on board.
The World Health Organization announced that the strain of the virus discovered in the eight confirmed cases linked to an outbreak on board the cruise ship MV Hondius is the Andean strain that is transmissible between humans.
Ushuaia city authorities have been denying for two weeks that they were the source of infection for the passenger, “case zero.” According to local authorities, the Hanta virus has not appeared in the province since reporting became mandatory 30 years ago. Also missing, according to them, was the long-tailed rat, which is the carrier of the “Andean” strain of the Hanta virus that is transmitted between humans.
Samples and analyses
Regional health official Juan Petrina said that a team of scientists from Argentina’s leading institute of epidemiology will travel to Ushuaia next week to determine whether the Hanta virus is present there or not, adding that “the results are supposed to be ready within 4 weeks.”
According to Petrina, “The epidemiological situation in the region has not changed much. We have not recorded any infections, and 45 days have passed since the ship sailed.”
Scientists from the Malbran Institute in Buenos Aires will work with regional specialists to collect samples that will then be sent to laboratories for analysis.
Although the province of Tierra del Fuego, where Ushuaia is located, has not recorded any cases of Hantavirus, it is endemic in other regions of Argentina.
The Hanta virus is a group of viruses that is transmitted mainly through rodents, especially mice, as the virus lives in their urine, feces, and saliva.
A person can become infected when inhaling contaminated particles in the air, or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the nose or mouth. There is no vaccine or specific treatment for Hantavirus, which can cause acute respiratory syndrome, and unlike some other viruses, its transmission between humans is very rare.