Health officials investigating a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship believe it may have started during a birdwatching trip to a landfill in Ushuaia, Argentina. Passengers aboard the MV Hondius became infected with the rare Andes strain, which can spread between people. Three died during the voyage from Argentina to Cape Verde, and over 150 were stranded as officials contained the outbreak. The ship has since been cleared to dock in the Canary Islands. Argentine officials told the AP that a Dutch couple likely caught the virus from rodents at the landfill and unknowingly brought it onboard. Hantavirus has a 20–40% fatality rate, per the WHO. Amid Covid-19 comparisons, WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove said: “This is not the next Covid, but it is serious. Most people will never be exposed.”
