Dr. Juan Rivera, an infectious-disease specialist, said hantavirus does not transmit like COVID-19 and the risk of a pandemic is low.
This distinction is critical for public health communication as it prevents unnecessary panic regarding the spread of the virus. While COVID-19 is characterized by rapid human-to-human transmission, hantavirus typically follows a different path of infection.
Speaking on Univision’s "Esta Semana" program, Rivera said he sought to inform the public about these transmission differences to reassure them that a widespread pandemic is unlikely [1]. "El hantavirus no se transmite como el COVID-19 y el riesgo de una pandemia es bajo," Rivera said [2].
Despite the low risk of a global pandemic, the virus remains dangerous in specific regions. In Argentina, the lethality rate of hantavirus is estimated between 30% and 40% [3]. Local data indicates that in 2025, Argentina recorded 23 confirmed cases of the virus [4]. These cases resulted in nine deaths [5].
The specialist's reassurance comes amid conflicting reports regarding the virus's behavior. While Rivera said the risk of widespread transmission is low, some reports have highlighted alerts following a detected outbreak on a cruise in the Atlantic [6].
Public health experts continue to monitor these isolated incidents to ensure the virus does not adapt or spread in unexpected environments. However, the current consensus among specialists like Rivera is that the biological mechanism of hantavirus prevents the kind of exponential growth seen in previous global health crises.
“"El hantavirus no se transmite como el COVID-19 y el riesgo de una pandemia es bajo."”
The contrast between high individual lethality and low pandemic potential highlights the difference between virulence and transmissibility. While hantavirus is far more deadly than many respiratory viruses on an individual basis, its inability to spread efficiently between humans prevents it from becoming a global systemic threat.
