Dermatológia pre prax 2/2026

Hantavírusová infekcia Andes ako potenciálna STI?

At the beginning of May 2026, sensational news appeared in the electronic and print media about the unusual occurrence of a hantavirus infection on board the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius. Two days later, the WHO reported that three people had died on the ship from a serious respiratory disease (specifically the Andes tribe). According to investigators and the World Health Organization (WHO), hantavirus got on a cruise ship through a Dutch couple (69 and 70 years old), who had been observing a rare bird in South America (specifically in the areas of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) for 4 months. Both professional ornithologists were also among the first victims. It is believed that about a month before the ship set sail, they visited a garbage dump near the city of Ushuaia, where they inhaled dust contaminated with urine or droppings of wild long-tailed dwarf rats (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). Rodents that naturally transmit this virus.

Keywords: rodents, hantaviruses, type Andes, STI