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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.
