Ushuaia Fears Hantavirus Speculation Will Hit 135,000-Cruise Tourism Hub

8 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 18

Ushuaia tourism operators say hantavirus fears have already prompted some Americans and Europeans to cancel Antarctic cruise bookings, even though authorities have found no evidence the outbreak began there.
Argentina’s Health Ministry is examining whether a Dutch couple who died in April contracted the virus in Ushuaia, but it says it cannot rule out other stops on their monthslong trip through Argentina and Chile.
135,000 passengers departed Ushuaia for Antarctica in the 2025-26 season, up from about 38,400 a decade earlier; the city says tourism generates more than 25% of its revenue.
More than two weeks after officials said rodent-testing teams would go to Tierra del Fuego—which has never recorded a hantavirus case—scientists had still not arrived, adding to local frustration over the investigation.
The scare lands as President Javier Milei’s policies have already hurt Tierra del Fuego’s economy, leaving the southern city more exposed to any drop in visitors.

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