Argentina Faces Hantavirus Spike amid Conflict with WHO

A patient suspected of being infected with hantavirus was transferred to an ambulance in Tanjung Verde/Cabo Verde/DOK WHOO

JAKARTA - Argentina is facing its worst hantavirus season in years and a crisis that has now dragged into a diplomatic confrontation.

As health authorities in the country struggle to control a surge in cases that has almost doubled compared to last year, the Argentine government has lashed out at the World Health Organization (WHO) for allegedly "politicizing" the outbreak.

According to the latest epidemiological bulletin, released Monday (4/5), during the 2025-2026 season since June last year, Argentina recorded 101 confirmed cases or up from 57 cases in the same period the previous year.

"Nationally, the 2025-2026 season shows a number of cases, which are above the threshold of an epidemic, for most of the analyzed period," the Argentine Ministry of Health said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, May 8.

The ministry added that the continuous increase has not shown signs of slowing down. In 2026 alone, 42 cases have been recorded; while the Argentine government is trying to implement early detection protocols.

Experts cite a series of environmental factors, from drought to heavy rain, as the main cause of the spike.

The dry period encourages rodents to enter human settlements to find food, while heavy rains trigger the spread of grain and cause a rat population explosion.

The Argentine Ministry of Health has also linked the increase in cases to increased human interaction with the wild environment, including as a result of habitat destruction, the expansion of rural residential areas, and the shifting of endemic areas due to climate change.a

The biological crisis then triggered geopolitical tensions after an outbreak appeared on the MV Hondius, a luxury cruise ship departing from the Port of Ushuaia in Argentina.

Previously, in March, Argentina followed the United States' move to officially withdraw from WHO participation.

Then, on Thursday (7/5), the Argentine Ministry of Health accused the WHO of using the hantavirus infection case on the cruise ship to influence the sovereign decision of the country.

Despite the heated political relations, Argentine health officials confirmed that preventive epidemiological monitoring is still ongoing. However, so far, local authorities have not been able to determine the exact source of the infection on the MV Hondius.

Source: Anadolu