A deadly hantavirus outbreak has been identified aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship that departed from Argentina, with several passengers having already returned to their home countries. Argentine health officials and experts are investigating whether the country is the source of the outbreak, as Argentina consistently ranks highest in hantavirus incidence across Latin America according to WHO data.

Eight people have contracted hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, with five cases confirmed and three deaths reported, according to a WHO briefing by Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The virus identified is Andes virus, which is capable of limited human-to-human transmission through close contact; WHO has assessed the overall public health risk as low but notes that additional cases may emerge given the incubation period. The organization has deployed diagnostic experts to the ship, shipped 2,500 test kits to five countries, and is coordinating international response under the International Health Regulations framework to ensure safe passenger disembarkation and prevent further spread.