Spanish
Santiago de Chile.- Chile, where hantavirus is endemic, has confirmed at least 39 cases of this disease so far this year and 13 deaths, which represents a lethality of 33% and represents an increase in this rate compared to 2025, the Ministry of Health informed EFE.
The infections have been recorded in 9 of the 16 regions of the country, mainly in the central and southern zone: Metropolitana (to which Santiago belongs), O'Higgins, Maule, Ñuble, Biobío, La Araucanía, Los Ríos, Los Lagos and Aysén.
In 2025, a total of 44 cases and eight deaths were recorded due to the disease, resulting in a fatality rate of 18%, according to the ministry.
According to public epidemiological data, between 2020 and 2024, between 30 and 70 annual cases have been recorded in Chile, with a fatality rate of 26% in this five-year period.
"The highest lethality (from 2026) could be related to factors specific to the patients and the timeliness of the diagnosis, which reinforces the importance of consulting in a timely manner for any compatible symptom", indicated the ministry.
The Andes variant, one of the most dangerous and the only one that can be transmitted from person to person, is the predominant one in Chile and Argentina, from where the cruise ship MV Hondius departed on April 1st, which has registered an outbreak of hantavirus, with eight infected and three deaths.
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The virus, which can cause serious cardiorespiratory complications, is transmitted by the so-called long-tailed mouse, a species that mainly inhabits the humid forests of southern Chile and Argentina. Most cases in Chile, which usually occur during the austral summer, happen through direct transmission between the animal and the person through the inhalation of viral particles from the feces, urine, and saliva of rodents.According to one of the hypotheses of the World Health Organization (WHO), some of the eight passengers on the cruise ship may have been infected in Argentina before boarding. The Government of Argentina is investigating whether the first two people to present symptoms on board the cruise ship were infected on land before boarding, as they are a Dutch couple - both deceased - who spent four months traveling between Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The Chilean ministry, however, indicated that "currently there is no record that the confirmed cases from the cruise ship have passed through national territory." "Similarly, the Minsal National Liaison Center has already requested information in this regard from the World Health Organization under the International Health Regulations," added the portfolio."The last documented case of contagion between people in Chile dates back to 2019 and was a specific and controlled situation," the ministry assured, which has maintained a health alert throughout the country since last January.
