A 39-year-old woman died after contracting hantavirus in the city of Bariloche, Rio Negro province. In the same location, 24 people are in isolation as a preventive measure. The woman passed away last Sunday at San Carlos hospital, where she had been admitted on Friday with symptoms compatible with hantavirus. Health authorities activated the protocol and are conducting periodic checks on the close contacts of the victim.
According to the diagnosis confirmed by PCR tests, the woman, originally from Buenos Aires but residing in Bariloche, contracted hantavirus. Currently, 24 people close to the patient are kept in isolation, who will have to undergo 45 days of preventive isolation as a precautionary measure. Although no infections have been detected among most of the close contacts, the protocol indicates isolation to prevent the spread of the virus.
Hantavirus is a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans through infected wild rodents, which excrete the virus in their urine, saliva, and droppings. The primary transmission route is through inhalation of aerosols containing viral particles from infected rodents. Other possible modes of transmission include contact with secretions or droppings of infected rodents and bites from them.
Symptoms of hantavirus include high fever, chills, muscle and headache pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, dry cough, and even respiratory failure in severe cases. To prevent hantavirus, it is recommended to avoid contact with rodents and their droppings, maintain cleanliness and disinfection of spaces, ventilate closed areas, store food in airtight containers, seal cracks, and use protection when cleaning areas where rodents may be present.
