Argentine province rejects 'ground zero' framing for Ushuaia; Malbran Institute mission will test rodents near landfill; questions whether the Dutch couple's exposure occurred there at all

Euronews (May 12): The province of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, is publicly pushing back on the theory that a landfill near Ushuaia was the origin of the cluster. Juan Facundo Petrina, the province's director of epidemiology, at a Friday press conference: 'I believe we are facing a smear campaign against this destination.' Local authorities cite three points: Tierra del Fuego has not recorded a hantavirus case since 1996; the 'colilargo' long-tailed mouse that carries the Andes strain is native to Argentina's northern provinces, far from the far-south region; and the Dutch couple spent only two days in Tierra del Fuego during their four-month trip through Argentina and Chile, 'dramatically reducing' the likelihood the infection occurred there. Argentina's Malbran Institute is sending a fact-finding mission to Ushuaia next week to capture and test rodents in areas the Dutch passenger visited; the Ministry of Health has also activated international cooperation channels and will share genetic material of the strain with laboratories in Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands and the UK to improve detection and diagnosis protocols.

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Author

Euronews

Disease

hantavirus