Argentina is scrambling to identify the origin of a hantavirus outbreak that infected at least nine passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship, a probe now clouded by international recriminations. The two initial Dutch victims had traveled extensively through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, complicating the investigation. Local authorities in Ushuaia, the departure port, vehemently deny a landfill is the source.

Health officials in Argentina and Chile traded statements after each ruled out their territory as the contagion point. Scientists linked a viral sequence to a 2018 Argentine case, but the Dutch couple's timeline does not match that region's incubation period. The Andes species is endemic in parts of Patagonia, yet none of the couple's recent stops are considered at-risk.

The outbreak threatens tourism in Ushuaia, a gateway to Antarctica. While Patagonia provinces have contained past spread through strict protocols, the cruise ship's close quarters and unfamiliar medical staff allowed human-to-human transmission. Investigators are now trapping rodents in new areas to check for viral expansion beyond known zones.