3 people died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship sailing between Argentina and Cape Verde, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
2 cases of hantavirus have been confirmed and another 5 suspected cases are being investigated.
The WHO told the BBC that investigations into the suspected hantavirus cases are continuing, and additional laboratory tests are being carried out.
The outbreak was recorded aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which departed from the Argentine city of Ushuaia, in the province of Tierra del Fuego.
It is a polar cruise, managed by the tourism company Oceanwide Expeditions, based in the Netherlands, 107.6 meters in length, with capacity for 170 passengers distributed in 80 cabins, in addition to 57 crew members, 13 guides and a doctor.
Here’s what we know about hantavirus:
Hantavirus is a strain of virus transmitted by rodents.
Humans are mainly infected by inhalation of suspended particles from dry excrement of these animals.
Infections usually occur when the virus is transmitted through the air through a rodent’s urine, droppings, or saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Although it is rare, it can also be transmitted through rodent bites or scratches.
The virus can cause two serious diseases.
The first, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), usually begins with fatigue, fever and muscle aches, followed by headache, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems.
If respiratory symptoms develop, the mortality rate is about 38%, according to the CDC.
The second disease, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), is more serious and mainly affects the kidneys.
Later symptoms may include hypotension, internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure.
How many cases of hantavirus are there worldwide?
There are an estimated 150,000 cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome worldwide each year, primarily in Europe and Asia, according to a report from the National Institutes of Health.
More than half of the cases usually occur in China.
The most recent data from the United States shows that between 1993, when hantavirus surveillance began, and 2023, 890 cases were recorded in the country.
However, Seoul virus, a major strain of hantavirus transmitted by Norway rats (also known as brown rats), is found throughout the world, including the United States.
How is it treated?
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus infections.
The CDC recommends supportive care to treat symptoms, which may include oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, antiviral medications, and even dialysis.
Patients with severe symptoms may need to be admitted to intensive care units. In severe cases, some may need to be intubated.
The CDC recommends avoiding contact with rodents in homes or workplaces to reduce exposure to the virus.
The agency also recommends sealing entry points in basements or attics where rodents can enter homes.
It is suggested to wear protective equipment when cleaning up rodent droppings to avoid inhaling contaminated air.
How common is hantavirus in Argentina?
Two species of hanta virus circulate in Argentina, Andes and Laguna Negra, with a dozen variants.
In the south of the country, the Andes strain predominates, which has a unique and worrying characteristic unlike other variants of the virus: the ability to transmit from person to person.
According to the Argentine National Epidemiological Bulletin, between mid-2025 and early 2026, more than 50 cases had been recorded.
The highest proportion of cases is found in the central region of the country, with 62% of the cases, followed by the northeast, which concentrates 29%, and the Southern region, with 8%.
Last year, the Ministry of Health issued an alert due to the 17% increase in cases registered in Argentina compared to previous periods.
What most worried the health authorities of the South American country was the greater lethality of the virus. While, as of 2019, mortality associated with hantavirus did not exceed 17% annually, in 2025 it rose to 33.6%, with 28 deaths.
This Monday, the Argentine newspaper “La Nación” reported that the fact that the cruise ship began its itinerary in Ushuaia “puts the focus of epidemiological research on the Patagonian region, where hantavirus is a zoonotic disease transmitted mainly by the long-tailed rodent (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus)”.
However, the health authorities of Tierra del Fuego indicated that there are no cases of hantavirus identified in the province since there are records of this disease and stressed that the endemic area of the virus in southern Argentina is located mainly in mountain areas of the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut.
Tierra del Fuego is not part of the territories where the virus usually circulates.
Have there been recent cases of hantavirus?
In February 2025, Betsy Arakawa, wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, died from a hantavirus-related respiratory illness.
Medical researchers believe Arakawa contracted hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), the most common strain in the United States.
Nests and some dead rodents were found in the rooms attached to the house where it was found.
Police records indicated that Arakawa searched the web for information about flu and Covid-19 symptoms in the days before his death.
*With information from Yang Tian Tinshui Yeung.
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- 3 dead in a possible hantavirus outbreak inside a cruise ship that set sail from Argentina