The community of Ruca Choroy, in the Pehuén Region of Neuquén, mourns the death of Cristian Huichaqueo, a 26-year-old man who passed away on Monday, August 18, 2026 at Zapala Hospital after a rapid progression of a hantavirus infection.
This is the first confirmed hantavirus case of the year in Neuquén Province. Health authorities have already activated an epidemiological protocol, placing 15 people who had contact with the young man under preventive isolation.
Timeline of a tragic outcome
On Saturday, August 15, the man entered the Aluminé Hospital with symptoms typical of hantavirus: fever above 38°C, muscle pain, breathing difficulties, and intense abdominal pain. His condition worsened quickly, prompting an urgent transfer to the Intensive Care Unit of Zonal Hospital in Zapala.
There, he required mechanical ventilation, but his heart failed. Despite the medical care, he suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and died 48 hours after being hospitalized, according to sources from the Neuquén Ministry of Health.
The diagnosis was confirmed by the Central Laboratory of Neuquén, which analyzed samples and confirmed positive results for hantavirus.
A pre-existing disease complicated the diagnosis
The director of Aluminé Hospital, Angélica Huglich, revealed that the patient suffered from hydatidosis, a parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, which leads to the growth of large hydatid cysts in organs such as the liver and lungs.
“The patient already had large hydatid cysts, and the symptoms mixed,” Huglich explained. She added, “The disease was so intertwined with his large cysts that it made the situation confusing.”
That pre-existing condition caused digestive symptoms, fever, and diarrhea, which obscured the true cause during the days before the hantavirus diagnosis.
Epidemiological focus: 15 people under isolation
After hantavirus was confirmed, a joint protocol involving the Ministry of Health, the Epidemiology Department, the hospitals of Zapata and Aluminé, and the Intercultural Health Center was implemented.
The committee traced the man’s movements to decide who should be isolated. According to Huglich, 15 people were placed under preventive follow-up. The man lived alone, but because of his underlying health condition, he was staying at a relative’s house.
“He had contact with the health system, traveled with other patients, as well as his housemates,” Huglich told Río Negro.
The incubation period for hantavirus ranges from 4 to 40 days, so health authorities will remain alert for symptoms among contacts.
How is Hantavirus Transmitted?
The main route of infection is inhalation of viral particles in the urine, saliva, or droppings of the colilargo mouse (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus), a rodent endemic to the Andean-Patagonian region of Argentina. Infection can also occur through direct contact with contaminated surfaces or, less often, through bites.
In Argentina, four endemic areas are recognized: North, Northeast, Center, and South. The South region includes Neuquén, Río Negro, and Chubut, and is notable for the presence of the Andes South genotype, one of the few in the world where person-to-person transmission has been documented.
According to the Ministry of Health of Neuquén, the historical average in the province is about 2 cases per year, with peaks of up to 8 cases (as in 2001) or periods with no cases between 2014 and 2016. The disease has a lethality rate near 40%.
No Hospital-Wide Isolation in Zapata
Rumors spread quickly, but the provincial Ministry of Health clarified that the Zapala Hospital is NOT isolated. Activities continue as normal under standard care protocols.
“The Health Teams of the Province want to bring peace and clarity to the communities of Aluminé, Zapala, and the entire province,” officials said in a press statement.
They urged residents to rely only on official channels, such as saludneuquen.gob.ar, and to avoid spreading false information that only fuels confusion and fear.
Prevention Tips from Health Authorities
With this new case, authorities highlighted essential measures to prevent infection:
- Ventilation: Before entering closed sheds, warehouses, or stables, open them and let the area air out for at least 30 minutes; cover your nose and mouth with a mask or damp cloth.
- Hygiene: wash dishes immediately, clean surfaces with a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, and store food in sealed containers.
- Home: remove undergrowth at least 30 meters around the house, block any openings in walls, roofs, doors, windows, and pipes, and place gardens and firewood piles far from the home.
- Outdoors: only use authorized trails, use tents with a floor and sealed zippers, avoid wild fruits or stalks, and always drink safe water.
- Do not sweep dry: to clean possibly contaminated spaces, use a cloth dampened with bleach and avoid raising dust.
The authorities also asked for respect and solidarity with the affected community: “Its members are facing a difficult time that needs time, support, and accompaniment, not false information that only increases grief.”
Source: Río Negro News.