32 people die of hantavirus in Argentina, infections almost double in a year

Hantavirus infections in Argentina are increasing at an alarming rate. According to the country’s Ministry of Health, 101 people have been confirmed infected so far this season and 32 have died. According to official figures, 57 people were infected at this time last year, which means an increase of almost twofold in a year. At the same time, the death rate has also increased significantly, which according to authorities is the highest in recent years.
According to experts, climate change, deforestation and ecological imbalance are responsible for the increase in hantavirus infections. It is claimed that these reasons are the reason why the rats carrying the virus are spreading to new areas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hantavirus is mainly spread by rats. The virus can even spread from person to person. However, such incidents are rare.
Usually, hantavirus spreads into the environment through the urine, feces and saliva of rats. The virus spreads through the air when cleaning rat nests and enters the human body through breathing. Meanwhile, despite the spread of new infections in different regions of Argentina, the capital Buenos Aires has the highest number of patients. So far, 42 infected people have been identified there.
On the other hand, an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Netherlands has killed three passengers. Three others have also fallen ill. However, Spain has begun evacuating passengers from its hantavirus-infected cruise ship MS Hondias, which is anchored off the coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
The country’s health ministry said that the passengers are being evacuated in stages according to nationality. In the first phase, 14 Spanish citizens will be evacuated. Then passengers from the Netherlands, Greece and Germany will be evacuated. Later, flights will depart with passengers from the UK and the US and, in the final phase, a flight to Australia will be operated next Monday.