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Chance of Hantavirus Infection in Ushuaia Nearly Zero, Say Health Officials
🇸🇰 Slovakia /Health & Science

Chance of Hantavirus Infection in Ushuaia Nearly Zero, Say Health Officials

From SME · (2h ago) Slovak

Translated from Slovak, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Health officials in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province state the chance of a Dutch tourist contracting hantavirus in Ushuaia is nearly zero.
  • The tourist, who later died from the virus, boarded a cruise ship in Ushuaia on April 1st and showed symptoms five days later while at sea.
  • The incubation period of hantavirus typically ranges from one to six weeks, making infection in Ushuaia unlikely given the timeline.

Argentine health authorities have moved to quell concerns regarding a potential hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, asserting that the likelihood of a Dutch tourist contracting the virus in the port of Ushuaia is "almost nil." Juan Petrina, the chief epidemiologist for Tierra del Fuego province, where Ushuaia is located, addressed the matter at a press conference, emphasizing the timeline of the tourist's illness in relation to his visit to the city.

Šanca, že Holanďan, spájaný s vypuknutím hantavírusu na výletnej lodi MV Hondius, sa ním nakazil v argentínskom prístave Ushuaia, je podľa zdravotníckych predstaviteľov provincie takmer nulová.

— Juan PetrinaThe chief epidemiologist of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province stating that the chance of a Dutch tourist contracting hantavirus in Ushuaia is almost zero.

The Dutch national and his wife, both of whom succumbed to the virus, embarked on the MV Hondius in Ushuaia on April 1st. Crucially, according to Petrina, the man first exhibited symptoms five days later, on April 6th, when the ship was already at sea. This five-day gap between arriving in Ushuaia and showing symptoms is inconsistent with the typical incubation period of hantavirus, which, as noted by the World Health Organization (WHO), can range from one to six weeks, though commonly it is two to three weeks.

Časový rámec nezodpovedá možnej nákaze v meste Ushuaia.

— Juan PetrinaThe chief epidemiologist explaining that the timeline of the tourist's symptoms does not support infection in Ushuaia.

Petrina's assessment directly challenges the notion that Ushuaia was the source of the infection. He pointed out that the time frame simply does not align with a potential infection within the city. While reports suggested the couple might have visited a landfill in Ushuaia, a potential site for rodent exposure, authorities could not confirm this. Furthermore, the specific strain of hantavirus, Andes, which is known to transmit between humans and was confirmed in some infected individuals, has not been recorded in Tierra del Fuego since 1996. The couple also traveled extensively through Chile, Uruguay, and other parts of Argentina before their cruise, adding further complexity to tracing the origin of the infection.

Zvyčajne to však trvá dva až tri týždne, povedala agentúre AFP technická pracovníčka WHO Anais Legandová.

— Anais LegandováA WHO technical officer stating that the incubation period for hantavirus usually lasts two to three weeks.
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Originally published by SME in Slovak. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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