Zoonoses becoming Human Infections? Hanta outbreak in Argentina

There's an outbreak of Andes virus happening in the southern region of Patagonia in Argentina right now. Cases first began occurring in late 2018 and are still going strong. Andes virus is a species of hantavirus that is spread by rodents. This virus does not exist in the United States, but is similar, in many ways to the hantaviruses Sin Nombre and Seoul, which are now endemic to the southwestern United States. 
Hantavirus symptoms typically start off like the flu: headache, fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea and muscle aches. However, in a portion of those infected, it can progress to the very serious Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which causes the lungs to fill with fluid and is often fatal, even with treatment. This is true of all the Hantaviruses. Andes virus, however, has one particularly concerning characteristic. It can also spread human to human. All human hantaviruses are rodent born zoonoses, acquired from contact with rodents or their feces. However, an individual who contracts Andes virus in this way can infect other humans directly, through close physical contact. Many existing human pathogens began as zoonoses that became more and more effective at human transmission. The potential for this to occur with Andes virus is deeply concerning. 
For now, the CDC recommends travelers to the region avoid contacts with sick individuals, rodents or anything that could be contaminated with rodent feces, and that travelers report any flu like symptoms to their doctor immediately. 

~Lisa Manzanete

References
- https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/resources/andes-virus.html
- https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/andes-virus-hantavirus-argentina

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