A deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship travelling from Argentina towards Europe has once again pushed the rare Andes strain into global focus. The virus, known for causing severe respiratory illness and carrying a high fatality rate, has now sparked renewed concern among health authorities and researchers working on possible treatments.
According to a Bloomberg News report, scientists in Chile had already spent years quietly working on antibodies and vaccines targeting the virus long before the latest outbreak grabbed international attention. But despite early breakthroughs and promising animal trial results, the research eventually slowed down after funding dried up and the Covid-19 pandemic shifted global priorities.
Chile scientists saw early breakthrough in hantavirus research
The research was led by scientist Maria Jose Barria and her team at the immunovirology lab at the Universidad de Concepcion in Chile, located around 300 miles south of Santiago. Their work focused on antibodies capable of neutralising the Andes hantavirus strain, which remains the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person.
Barria recalled a major breakthrough around 2016, when the fluorescent green glow normally indicating the virus under a microscope suddenly disappeared during testing.
“We're on the right track,” Barria remembered thinking at the time. “We have to keep going.”
The antibodies later showed successful results in animal trials. According to the report, one monoclonal antibody was even able to completely clear infection from the lungs during later testing conducted with international collaborators.
Funding problems stalled human trials
By 2021, one of the antibodies had received orphan drug status from the US Food and Drug Administration, a designation aimed at helping accelerate development for rare diseases.
Still, moving towards human trials required far larger investments.
Barria estimated the project needed around $7 million to proceed. Her team, along with New York-based Ichor Biologics and several international collaborators, attempted to secure funding, but progress slowed significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic as resources shifted elsewhere.
“The key factor that's preventing further progress is funding and resources,” Barria said.
“We have made significant advances, but we've reached a stage that is much more expensive and requires a different level of investment, as well as specific infrastructure that we are currently lacking.”
Barria also estimated that even if fresh funding arrived immediately, it would still take roughly 12 to 24 months for the research team to return to the stage they had reached before the pandemic interrupted progress.
Cruise ship outbreak brings Andes strain back into focus
The recent outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship has intensified attention around the Andes hantavirus strain.
According to the report, more than eight people were infected, several died and passengers and crew from 23 countries may have been exposed before returning home and entering quarantine. Authorities are still trying to determine the exact source of the outbreak.
Researchers say hantavirus cases remain relatively rare globally, which ironically creates another challenge when it comes to clinical trials and treatment development.
Professor Kartik Chandran from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine is also working on both vaccine and antibody-based treatments. He said the antibody developed by his team had shown protective results against the Andes strain in animal models and was now ready for human trials.
“We are engaged in a number of conversations with various parties,” Chandran said.
“The goal would be to have something available should there be another outbreak. I'm optimistic that we'll learn from the current situation and be positioned for hantaviruses down the road.”
He also admitted that organising clinical trials remains difficult because the number of infections is still relatively low compared to more widespread diseases.
Chile and Argentina continue reporting infections
The disease remains a more urgent issue in parts of South America, especially Chile and southern Argentina.
According to Chile’s Health Ministry, the country has already recorded 39 hantavirus infections in 2026, including 13 deaths. Argentina, meanwhile, had confirmed 42 infections by May 7 this year.
Barria said the virus had often remained overlooked outside southern Chile partly because of how geographically concentrated and rare it was.
“It has always been a public health problem here, but without a solution,” she said.
Symptoms can quickly become severe
Early symptoms of hantavirus can resemble flu-like illness and may include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and abdominal pain. But in severe cases, the condition can rapidly turn dangerous as fluid begins filling the lungs, sometimes leading to respiratory failure and intensive care treatment.
According to estimates from Clinica Alemana, a private hospital in Chile, around 40 to 60 infections are diagnosed in the country every year, with fatality rates reaching up to 40 percent. There are currently no specific treatments available, although early diagnosis and medical care significantly improve outcomes.
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