No Hantavirus Detected in Argentina’s Second Search Province

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Buenos Aires: Argentine health officials have found no proof of hantavirus in rats seized in a second province as they continue to look into the source of a deadly outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, according to the Health Ministry. The new tests from Mendoza Province came out negative, adding to earlier results that raised doubt on the virus's origin in Tierra del Fuego.

The outbreak, which killed three passengers and infected many more earlier this year, sparked an international investigation by Argentine scientists and experts from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Authorities are presently waiting for updated lab results and tracing the travel history of impacted passengers to identify where the exposure occurred.

Officials say that the cause of the outbreak is unknown, but the World Health Organization has rated the overall public health risk as low.