Every few years nature reminds us that “once in a century” outbreaks are starting to stack up suspiciously close together.
If climate change is expanding rodent habitats, altering migration patterns, and increasing human exposure to diseases like hantavirus, then this isn’t just an environmental issue anymore — it’s a public health issue too.
What worries me most is that governments are cutting public health funding while the risk landscape is getting more unpredictable. That feels like the exact opposite lesson we were supposed to learn from Covid.
71
Tessablu3 days ago
+27
This is not a once-in-a-century outbreak. It’s not even the biggest outbreak of Andes virus in the past decade.
27
Mysterious_Camel_7173 days ago
+18
It’s almost like experts around the world have for years toted the “one health” approach (referring to how animal, human, and environmental health are intrinsically linked), and yet none of the decision making has taken that into account.
18
Objective_Tie_76263 days ago
+24
Public Helath...The "Oh shit we didnt have the money for that branch" of healthcare despite the numerous ways it's been proven to save money if provided correctly
24
Secretsfrombeyond793 days ago
+18
Not in Argentina. Milei nearly doubled Healthcare budget in 2024 accounting for inflation ( if not then he more than tripled it ), and it's increased above inflation in 2025 as well.
[https://www.presupuestoabierto.gob.ar/sici/visualizacion-a-que-se-destina-el-gasto](https://www.presupuestoabierto.gob.ar/sici/visualizacion-a-que-se-destina-el-gasto)
[https://tradingeconomics.com/argentina/inflation-cpi](https://tradingeconomics.com/argentina/inflation-cpi)
[https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/algebra/percentage-increase-calculator.php](https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/algebra/percentage-increase-calculator.php)
18
No_Conversation_93253 days ago
+5
Those are different events though!
5
FixedFun12 days ago
+3
> “once in a century” outbreaks
Hantavirus' outbraakes were a thing before. Only exclusive to Argentina but they were here and only endured for a couple of months because of how lethal it is! (more people die than those getting contagious)
3
Mondoke2 days ago
+1
Thing is that environmental issues arenot just for nature. It's refugees, public health and a lot of economic consequences from all of that. But branding just makes it stick to cute animals and such.
1
MisterHole1232 days ago
+1
I can confirm that health efforts worldwide have become lackluster.
1
bwoah07_gp22 days ago
It's the new normal now, we gotta get used to it and be as prepared as humanely possible...
0
thoughtsarefalse1 day ago
+1
Not to deny climate change, because its real. (And humans are causing it etc) But an even more closely human related cause is likely at fault for contact with rodents.
Human encroachment on natural habitats, or human activities that change ecosystems (making massive landfills) are more likely to drive an increase in contact between wildlife we are not normally exposed to.
1
ManicheanMalarkey2 days ago
+13
> “Argentina is used to dealing with hantavirus,” "...there have always been cases and outbreaks … but nothing has really changed.”
> Argentina remains within its historical annual average of about 100 cases
Article is rational and well-sourced, but the only reason this is being reported on is due to unscrupulous media outlets and unmoderated algorithms sowing fear.
Just like with Nipah, reporting on Hantavirus will soon run out of steam. It's R0 for context:
Virus|R0
:--|:--
SARS-CoV-2|2.5-5.7
SARS|2.5
Flu|1.46-1.8
MERS|1
Nipah (NiV)|0.48
vs [Hantavirus](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7101103/):
> The median reproductive number (the number of secondary cases caused by an infected person during the infectious period) was 2.12 before the control measures were enforced and **decreased to 0.96 after the measures were implemented.**
In other words, once officials react to an outbreak, it's R0 falls below a 1.0 replacement rate, which means it will peter out.
13
nopigscannnotlookup2 days ago
+4
Does this include the Andes variant of this virus?
4
ManicheanMalarkey2 days ago
+3
Yes, from an actual outbreak of the andes human-to-human variant
3
SCREW-NARWHALS2 days ago
+5
What?? Someone online with critical thinking who doesn't panic right away?!?
5
MisterHole1232 days ago
+2
Aaah after the control measures... What makes you think said control measures are properly implemented every time?
2
Dependent_Plate61102 days ago
-1
\>decreased to 0.96 after the measures were implemented.
That is not reassuring!!!
If this virus strain is a little more infectious, or our measures are a little worse. Then you get an R0 above 1. In other words a growing infection.
-1
ManicheanMalarkey2 days ago
+2
It should be reassuring. The number of cases has been stable for decades.
A small outbreak happens, a couple dozen people die, the local community clamps down, the virus peters out, life goes on. It's fine.
It's one of thousands of viruses, bacteria and other parasites that have random localized outbreaks every year, but aren't expected to suddenly take off like a wildfire pandemic. Legionnaires' disease, E.Coli, etc kill more people in more countries every year.
The "if" is a separate issue. If things were different, theyd be different, but they're not. We're not seeing an exponential curve happening, or any sudden unexpected growth. It's one ship. It will be fine.
2
Dependent_Plate61102 days ago
-1
\>It's one ship. It will be fine.
I hope you are right. But the problem is that it is not only the boat.
1. The widow of the first case traveled to South Africa before collapsing on the airport and dying the day after. She was very ill then she was in the airport so she was probably spreading lots of virus. I would not be surprised if she infected a large number of persons. Nobody is monitoring this contacts, some of them locals and some traveling to other countries.
2. We have to go backward also. Do not see a rich tourist getting infected by a rat as likely. Think it is more probable that the "first case" is not the first but rather he got infected by human-to-human from an ongoing outbreak in Argentina/Chile. I see little evidence that people is working this scenario.
-1
ux3l2 days ago
+1
Who of them poked poop without their poop poking stick?
21 Comments