Argentina and Chile: hantavirus hits record highs in 2026
Regional monitoring editor
Timestamp shown in UTC unless otherwise indicated.
Numbers that frighten
2026 has become a record year for hantavirus in South America. Argentina: 118 confirmed cases, 38 deaths. Chile: 39 cases, 13 deaths.
Chile's fatality rate — 33%. That is almost double 2025, when it was 18%.
Why Chile?
Andes virus is endemic to southern Chile and Argentina. Its carrier is the long-tailed pygmy rice rat. It lives in the humid forests of Patagonia.
Infection happens in rural areas. Loggers, farmers, tourists — all at risk. Most patients are men working outdoors.
Argentina: peak or not?
Argentina is going through one of its worst seasons in a decade. Cases registered in 11 of 23 provinces. The epicenter — Neuquén in northwestern Patagonia.
Weekly growth is slowing. Epidemiologists hope the peak has passed. But the virus stays in nature.
| Country | Cases (2026) | Deaths | Fatality rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 118 | 38 | 32% |
| Chile | 39 | 13 | 33% |
| US (Sin Nombre) | 8 | 2 | 25% |
Link to the cruise
WHO believes the first MV Hondius passenger got infected in Patagonia. He went birdwatching near a landfill in Ushuaia. That is likely where contact happened.
Argentine authorities launched a rodent trapping program in Ushuaia. 2,500 diagnostic tests were sent to labs in five countries.
'What we are seeing in Argentina is not a sudden viral mutation. It is an ecological shift. The host range has changed.' — HantaOSINT
A lesson for the world
Hantavirus in South America is not news. It has been there for decades. But the 2026 numbers show: risk is growing. Not just for locals.
One cruise — and the virus is in 23 countries. Passengers on four continents. The world is too small for such a threat.