Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever Kills 65-Year-Old Woman as Rodent-Borne Disease Spreads to New Areas
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever Kills 65-Year-Old Woman as Rodent-Borne Disease Spreads to New Areas
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Summary
A 65-year-old woman in Rosario died less than a week after developing fever, muscle pain and fatigue; tests later confirmed Argentine hemorrhagic fever.
Blood work had shown dangerously low white-blood-cell and platelet counts, hallmarks of a rare rodent-borne disease that can trigger internal bleeding, seizures and coma.
Her death comes amid what doctors describe as a resurgence after decades of relative dormancy, with cases appearing in places where the disease had not previously been seen.
Scientists say habitat disruption from human development, environmental degradation and climate change is helping zoonotic diseases jump more often and spread more widely.