The municipal landfill in Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, has become one of the focal points in the investigation into the hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, according to the newspaper El País.

The landfill, located roughly four miles from downtown Ushuaia, is generally avoided by the residents. However, it is frequently visited by birdwatchers from around the world, attracted by the white caracara, a scavenger bird commonly found feeding on food waste at the site.

Several of the nearly 150 tourists who boarded the vessel on April 1, bound for Cape Verde, visited the area, including the Dutch couple who were the first passengers to develop symptoms while at sea.

According to official sources cited by the publication, epidemiologists are searching the site for evidence of infected rodents. Nevertheless, both authorities and residents remain skeptical, noting that no case of hantavirus has ever been recorded in Tierra del Fuego.

The landfill is fenced off, and visitors typically observe birds from the perimeter or from a designated trail. Experts also point out that hantavirus transmission usually occurs in enclosed, poorly ventilated environments through inhalation of particles from rodent feces, urine, or saliva, rather than in open-air settings such as a landfill.

The Andes South strain detected aboard the cruise ship is associated with the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, commonly found in Argentine provinces such as Chubut, Río Negro, and Neuquén. Although a subspecies of the rodent exists in Tierra del Fuego and could potentially act as a reservoir, there is currently no evidence confirming this possibility, the report stated.

As the investigation continues and local tourism operators fear the outbreak’s economic impact, authorities in Ushuaia are attempting to distance the city from being identified as the source of the infection. The local government maintains that the possibility of Tierra del Fuego being the outbreak’s origin “is practically nonexistent” and has urged investigators to focus on endemic areas in Chile and other Argentine provinces where hantavirus is known to circulate.

The alert comes during the deadliest hantavirus season recorded in Argentina in recent years, with 101 infections and 32 deaths reported nationwide.

So far, the outbreak linked to the cruise ship has resulted in three fatalities. The World Health Organization announced Friday that there are six confirmed cases of hantavirus and two probable cases. The vessel is currently traveling from Cape Verde to Spain. (CubaSí)