Ushuaia: Tourist hotspot at 'end of the world' denies causing hantavirus outbreak
Source: BBC
Tourist hotspot at 'end of the world' denies causing hantavirus outbreak
10 May 2026
Matías Zibell
BBC Mundo, reporting from Ushuaia
As Argentina's southernmost city, Ushuaia has long enjoyed its reputation as 'The End of the World' and as a gateway for trips both to Antarctica and for tourists to explore the dramatic, natural beauty of Patagonia.
But in recent days it has been grappling with a different kind of fame, one that has cast a shadow over local businesses and officials: the suggestion it could be ground zero for the hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.
The cruise ship is now anchored in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands where passengers are being evacuated and flown home. It began its journey on 1 April, more than 6,000 miles away in Ushuaia in the province of Tierra del Fuego.
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One theory suggests a passenger may have been infected at a landfill site on the outskirts of Ushuaia, where tourists often visit to watch birds and where waste attracts rats and mice. Argentinian officials who spoke anonymously to some news outlets have said that is their leading hypothesis.
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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21ej471g2o