Southwestern Argentina (Patagonian Andes foothills)
Andes hantavirus HPS · Río Negro / Neuquén, southern Argentina · preliminary historical
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Summary
Recognition of a hantavirus pulmonary syndrome cluster in southern Argentina (Río Negro and Neuquén provinces) during 1995 that led to the genetic identification and naming of Andes virus (López et al., Virology 1996) — the first hantavirus species characterized in South America. The long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) was implicated as the reservoir. Retrospective surveillance (Sosa Estani / Lázaro / Padula et al.) collected ~17–20 confirmed cases for 1995 with case-fatality of roughly 50%; exact 1995-only deaths are not separately tabulated in open-access tier-1 sources, so figures here are preliminary. Argentina's later (1995–2008) cumulative tally was 710 confirmed cases and 183 deaths nationwide (Martinez VP et al., EID 2010).
Why this matters
First description of Andes virus and the start of systematic HPS surveillance in Argentina. Established Patagonia as a major South American HPS focus and provided the genomic substrate for later studies of Andes virus person-to-person transmission.
Sources
- T1 Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Argentina, 1995–2008 (Martinez VP et al.) Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC) · 2026-05-07
- T4 Andes virus — overview and outbreak history Wikipedia · 2026-05-07