While epidemiologists rush to discover further insights into the hantavirus emergence on a cruise, they have dismissed certain theories being shared online.
Dr. Boris Pavlin, the leading figure for field and humanitarian epidemiology at the World Health Organization, talked about the organization's ongoing analysis of the outbreak with ABC News Sunday and emphasized that although some questions remain unanswered, numerous indicators exist to help define the origin.
Passengers watch as others are disembarked from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, May 10, 2026.AP
He stated that he doesn’t think the virus originated from the Argentinian area the MV Hondius departed, rather every indication suggests it started in the Andes Cordillera zone in northern Argentina and Chile, where the specific carrier, the long-tailed rice rat, is prevalent.
"There's every reason to believe this came from rodents," Pavlin stated.
He added WHO has validated the initial hantavirus instances on board the MV Hondius arose from individuals who had previously journeyed to the Andes Cordillera region.
"We anticipate that contact occurred in one of those places. The exact location is not yet clear," Pavlin said.
Port vessels accompany the MV Hondius as it departs the Granadilla Port after all passengers were evacuated on May 11, 2026 in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain.Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images
A popular speculation is that the virus began from a bird viewing landfill site in Ushuaia, situated at the southern point of Argentina, where a pair infected with the virus visited, Argentine authorities first speculated.
However, more details have come to light demonstrating that this theory is improbable, according to health experts.
Dr. Omer Awan, a high-ranking public health contributor for Forbes, informed ABC News on Tuesday that science has indicated the Andres type requires straight inhalation of biological specks from contaminated rodents, specifically in enclosed spaces.
"Bird watching will not result in the Andres strain," he said.
The bird-watching pair who contracted the illness and went to the landfill also visited Patagonia, which lies more than a thousand miles north of the bird-watching spot, according to health officials.
There have been more than 100 hantavirus cases and over 30 fatalities documented in Argentina during this year, and the rice rat known to transmit the illness is not found in all regions, according to health authorities.
Passengers evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was affected by a hantavirus outbreak, walk with their belongings after disembarking at Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands, May 12, 2026.Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters
Awan pointed out that the investigation into the origin is still at an early phase, and the priority for public health officials is to concentrate on curbing the proliferation.
"The more crucial public health matter here is to ensure the virus is contained," he said. "Determining the source would be a bonus."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com