Here is the latest publicly available information I can share about Andes virus, based on recent reporting and reputable sources up to 2024–2025.
Vaccines and research progress: A notable study from UTMB reported in 2024 that mRNA vaccine candidates against Andes virus showed protective effects in animal models, marking a significant step toward countermeasures for this hantavirus. This work highlighted the potential of mRNA platforms for Andes virus vaccine development, though no vaccine has yet received regulatory approval for human use. It’s important to note that these results are preclinical and require further validation in human trials before any clinical deployment.[1][2]
Transmission and disease context: Andes virus is a hantavirus associated with severe disease in humans, including Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, with case-fatality rates reported in some outbreaks historically ranging from roughly 21% to 50% depending on the outbreak and setting. Andes virus is unique among hantaviruses in South America for documented person-to-person transmission in some outbreaks, though human-to-human spread is not the typical mode of transmission for hantaviruses and tends to require close contact; most transmission is zoonotic via rodent exposure.[3][5][7]
Notable outbreaks and surveillance: Argentina experienced documented outbreaks involving Andes virus, including instances of person-to-person transmission in past years. While ongoing surveillance and genomic characterization efforts exist, there is no widely available vaccine or specific antiviral approved for Andes virus as of the most recent comprehensive reviews available publicly. Public health agencies continue to monitor hantaviruses and emphasize rodent control, personal protective measures, and prompt clinical evaluation for suspected cases.[5][3]
Public sources for ongoing updates: The CDC provides current fact sheets and educational material on Andes virus and hantaviruses, which are good baseline references for understanding transmission, exposure risk, and clinical considerations. Scientific journals and institutional press releases (e.g., UTMB updates) provide updates on vaccine development and preclinical progress as new results are published.[2][1][3][5]
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On November 2, 2018, a person-to-person transmission outbreak of Andes virus (Orthohantavirus andesense) began in the small town of Epuyén, Argentina. The strain demonstrated a high capacity for sustained transmission among the human population ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govThis surface protein complex for the Andes virus is a mushroom-shaped structure called a Gn-Gc tetramer. To map the 3D structures, the team first produced virus-like particles that mimic a real virus, but without the genome that makes a virus infectious. They then used a cryo-electron microscope—which shines an electron beam through a frozen sample and detects the shadows created by molecules—to reconstruct the three-dimensional structures of the Gn-Gc tetramers on the surface of the...
lifeboat.comNovel Strain of Andes Virus, Central Bolivia
wwwnc.cdc.govA mRNA vaccine protects against Andes virus in an animal model, according to a new study by UTMB scientists. Andes virus is a prominent rodent-borne virus in South America and has human fatality rates up to 30 percent.
www.utmb.eduTo better describe the genetic diversity of hantaviruses associated with human illness in South America, we screened blood samples from febrile patients in Chapare Province in central Bolivia during 2008-2009 for recent hantavirus infection. Hantavirus RNA was detected in 3 patients, including 1 who …
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govA recent study at the University of Texas Medical Branch, published in Nature Communications, has shown that an mRNA vaccine developed by UTMB scientists protects against Andes virus in an animal model.
www.utmb.edu