Epuyén, Chubut, Argentina
Andes hantavirus HPS · Chubut Province, Patagonia · verified historical
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Summary
Sustained Andes virus (ANDV) outbreak in the Patagonian town of Epuyén (population ~2,000) that began with a single rodent-acquired index case in late October 2018 and propagated through multiple person-to-person chains, driven by three symptomatic 'super-spreaders' who attended crowded social gatherings. Authorities imposed contact-tracing and quarantine of 142 people. The retrospective genomic and epidemiological investigation (Martínez et al., NEJM 2020) identified 34 laboratory-confirmed cases and 11 deaths between November 2018 and February 2019. WHO's 23 January 2019 interim DON had reported 29 confirmed cases and 11 deaths.
Why this matters
Largest documented person-to-person hantavirus outbreak. Provided detailed epidemiological and genomic evidence of sustained Andes virus transmission chains, informing modern infection-control guidelines for suspected ANDV cases.
Sources
- T1 “Super-Spreaders” and Person-to-Person Transmission of Andes Virus in Argentina New England Journal of Medicine · 2026-05-07
- T1 Hantavirus Disease – Argentina (Disease Outbreak News) World Health Organization · 2026-05-07
- T1 Andes Virus Disease Outbreak in Argentinian Patagonia, 2018-2019 Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC) · 2026-05-07
- T1 PAHO supports response to hantavirus outbreak in Argentina Pan American Health Organization · 2026-05-07