Tierra del fuego: A scientific mission began its search for rodents potentially carrying hantavirus in Tierra del Fuego, following an outbreak on a cruise ship that left the region on April 1.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, biologists from Buenos Aires are setting traps across various locations on the southern island to determine if the captured rodents carry the Andes strain of the virus, which is the only strain known to spread between people.
The mission gains urgency as the outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius resulted in three fatalities, raising global concerns. The first victim, a Dutch national, had spent 48 hours in Ushuaia, a city known for its picturesque landscape, with his wife before embarking on the cruise. His wife succumbed to the disease two weeks later, prompting suspicions that the virus was contracted in Argentina. However, provincial officials strongly refute this claim, asserting that Tierra del Fuego has not reported a hantavirus case since it became mandatory 30 years ago, unlike provinces such as Rio Negro and Chubut.
Local scientists are investigating whether the long-tailed rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) or the Magellanic long-tailed rat (Oligoryzomys magellanicus) is the noteworthy rodent in the region. Juan Petrina, the province’s director of epidemiology, emphasized the importance of determining if either species is infected with hantavirus. The nocturnal rodents, which feed on fruits and seeds, inhabit wooded and shrubby areas, nesting in tree cavities.
Scientists from Malbran, Argentina’s leading institute for infectious diseases, are setting trap cages in the evenings and retrieving them in the mornings, according to local health sources. Prime targets for the traps include Tierra del Fuego National Park and another wooded area near a landfill, though the landfill itself is excluded, as it hosts urban rodents not susceptible to hantavirus. Unconfirmed reports suggest the Dutch victim, a bird enthusiast, might have visited the site to observe local scavengers, leading to speculation about rodent contact.
The analysis results of the captured rodents are expected in four weeks. Local scientists welcome the mission, as it will provide a clearer assessment of the potential danger posed by the local rodent population. Guillermo Deferrari, a biologist at the Southern Center for Scientific Investigation (CADIC), hopes the findings will eradicate the belief that hantavirus exists in Tierra del Fuego. The region’s isolation, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, serves as a significant geographical barrier for species, suggesting that the infection likely occurred elsewhere during the Dutch couple’s extensive travels in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
Local authorities are optimistic that the Malbran mission will dismiss the hypothesis of a local infection, preserving the tourism industry. Ushuaia, though experiencing a winter slowdown, typically hosts up to 200,000 cruise visitors annually from September to April. “We don’t want this situation to escalate any further,” stated Juan Manuel Pavlov, secretary of the Tierra del Fuego Tourism Institute.