Ushuaia

Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego province, Argentina, and the southernmost city in the world with a permanent population of approximately 80,000. Located on the Beagle Channel at the southern tip of South America, it serves as the principal gateway for Antarctic expedition cruises, handling tens of thousands of tourist arrivals annually during the austral summer season (October to March). Ushuaia's economy depends heavily on Antarctic tourism, fishing, and a modest electronics manufacturing sector established under a tax-free zone arrangement. The surrounding Tierra del Fuego landscape, dominated by Nothofagus (southern beech) Forest and Oligoryzomys rodent populations, places the city within the endemic range of Andes virus.

Ushuaia was identified as the plausible site of pre-boarding Andes virus exposure in the MV Hondius cluster after the ship departed in early 2026. Michael Osterholm of CIDRAP assessed the HCPS median incubation window as consistent with pre-boarding exposure in the port environment rather than at-sea transmission. PAHO had flagged elevated Southern Cone hantavirus caseload in December 2025, five months before departure, with no known uptake by Antarctic cruise operators. The structural vulnerability is the intersection of the global Antarctic tourism season with the Andes-endemic rodent environment: pre-departure health screening for cruise passengers has not historically included Andes-specific hantavirus briefings.