Buenos Aires, Argentina —
Hantavirus cases in Argentina have almost doubled in the past year, with the country recording 32 deaths alongside its highest number of infections since 2018.
The rise comes as Argentine authorities race to trace the footsteps of a couple who traveled extensively in the country and later died amid an outbreak of the virus on the cruise ship MV Hondius. The vessel left port in Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on April 1 and is currently on its way to Spain’s Canary Islands.
It is expected to reach Tenerife’s industrial port of Granadilla early Sunday morning.
Experts blame climate change and habitat destruction for the rise in cases of the disease, which is usually caused by exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents.
