Mysterious pneumonia kills three in Argentina in new alarming outbreak
- The cases involve eight health workers and one patient in intensive care in Tucumán
- Officials concerned because Covid, flu and hantavirus have been ruled out
- Alarming similarities to the spread of Covid in Wuhan in late 2019
Three people have died in Argentina from a mysterious pneumonia, raising fears of a new virus outbreak.
Health officials in the South American country said another six had been infected with “pneumonia of unknown cause”.
The cases involve eight health workers and one patient in intensive care who was being treated at a private hospital in Tucumán, a small region 800 miles northwest of the capital Buenos Aires.
Officials are concerned because Covid, influenza and hantavirus have all been ruled out.
The fact that it has spread to health workers – often the victims of new virus outbreaks – suggests that the culprit may be an infectious disease.
It comes two and a half years after reports of unexplained pneumonia leaked out of Wuhan, China in December 2019. It turned out to be Covid.
Three people have died of mysterious pneumonia in Argentina, raising fears of a new virus outbreak (file image)
The cases occurred in Tucumán, a small region 800 miles northwest of the capital, Buenos Aires
The first six patients showed symptoms between August 18 and 22.
Of the last three cases, two are being treated in hospital and one is being monitored at home
Tucumán Health Minister Luis Medina Ruiz told local media: “What these patients have in common is severe respiratory disease with bilateral pneumonia and impairments [X-ray] Pictures very similar to Covid but that is ruled out.
He said patients had been tested for more than 30 bugs – including “Covid, cold, influenza both type A and B” – all of which came back negative.
Samples were sent to Argentina’s National Administration of Health Laboratories and Institutes for further analysis.
The hospital has been locked down and patient contacts are being traced and isolated.
Officials are also investigating whether the spate of cases is the result of a bacterial outbreak, possibly due to contaminated water or contaminated air conditioners.
Experts in the West said it was too early to ring the alarm bell, despite the outbreak’s similarities to the emergence of Covid.
The epidemic intelligence team at the European Center for Disease Control has been tracking the accumulation of cases since Tuesday.
And scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) are also monitoring the situation.
Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Health at the University of Edinburgh, told The Telegraph: “It’s obviously worrying, but hopefully we still need important information on the transmission [on the] Cause.
“This shows our collective vulnerability to dangerous pathogens. An outbreak in any part of the world – if not contained quickly – can spread quickly due to air travel and trade.”
