Argentina slams WHO for politicizing hantavirus outbreak
The government of Argentine President Javier Milei has accused the World Health Organization of politicizing the ongoing hantavirus outbreak to try to reverse Argentina’s decision to withdraw from the organization.
Argentina's Health Ministry issued a statement Thursday rejecting calls from the WHO to reconsider the exits of both Argentina and the United States during the health emergency linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, News.Az reports, citing UPI.
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Argentina formally left the organization on March 17, while the United States did so on Jan. 22.
"The country does not need to belong to the WHO to work with other states," the Argentine ministry said in defending the country's national health and technical capacity to confront emergencies.
The Milei administration said it will continue epidemiological monitoring and regional cooperation without "political subordination."
That response came after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said global health security requires universal participation.
"Viruses do not care about our politics, our borders or whatever excuses we may have," Tedros said during a news conference.
Argentina's statement contended that "this situation demonstrates that technical cooperation does not require political subordination. The WHO is once again placing politics above evidence and attempting to use an extraordinary health event to pressure a sovereign decision by Argentina."
During the 2025-2026 season, Argentina recorded a significant increase in hantavirus cases, surpassing the epidemic threshold with 101 confirmed infections since the epidemiological campaign began in June 2025. Of those, 42 cases were reported this year.
The fatality rate so far in 2026 has reached 31%, with at least 32 reported deaths.
Despite the outbreak, the Argentina reaffirmed it will maintain regional cooperation independently and without "political subordination" to international organizations.
The government also insisted that Argentina's position "will not change" and said "international organizations funded by everyone, which supported ruinous health measures and never seriously reviewed their mistakes, should explain their failures before attempting to impose conditions on a sovereign country."
The luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak left three people dead and infected five others, had stopped in the southern Argentine city of Ushuaia.
The case drew global attention because the detected strain is believed to be Andes Sur, the only hantavirus variant known to spread between humans.
Authorities believe the Dutch couple who first showed symptoms became infected during a bird-watching excursion in Argentina. The government ordered rat testing and sample collection in Ushuaia on Wednesday, according to Argentine newspaper Clarín.
According to a report by the Pan American Health Organization, Argentina currently has the highest incidence of hantavirus in the region, surpassing other countries where the virus is endemic, such as Brazil and Chile. Local authorities say prevention remains the most effective tool.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
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