Is this the source of deadly rat virus outbreak? Couple 'contracted hantavirus' at Argentine waste site
The rubbish dump loved by birdwatchers could have been where two pensioners contracted the virus
A giant rubbish tip in Argentina has been identified as the possible location where two Dutch birdwatchers contracted the deadly rat virus that is tearing through a cruise ship.
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Five people have now contracted the deadly hantavirus on the vessel, which was making its way through the Atlantic, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) stating there could be three more.
Three passengers have now died after contracting the virus, which is spread by rat droppings.
Argentine officials now believe a landfill site could be where the two bird-loving pensioners contracted the virus before unwittingly bringing it aboard the MV Hondius ship.
The landfill site in Ushuaia is popular among bird lovers because it is home to rare species of Patagonian birds, including the White-bellied Seedsnipe.
The birdwatching couple had visited other towns in Argentina and Chile before boarding the cruise ship, according to the World Health Organisation.
Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego is the departure point for many cruises to Antartica and cruises along the Beagle Channel, making it a popular tourist destination.
The vessel, which was due to travel next to Cape Verde in Africa, docked at the site for several weeks before departing.
The authorities are also investigating other locations visited by the couple where they could have picked up the virus, including Patagonia in southern Argentina where several infections are clustered.
The virus incubation period is between one and eight weeks, which makes it challenging for authorities to know whether the passengers caught the virus in Argentina or once they were aboard the ship.
Argentina has seen a huge surge of the hantavirus cases in recent years which has been widely ascribed by local experts to climate change.
The viruses are spread through rodent droppings, saliva and urine.
However the province of Tierra del Fuego has never recorded a case of hantavirus - until now.
The strain identified on the cruise ship is a specific variant of the disease known as "the Andes virus", and is only found in the mountains of Argentina and Chile, where the cruise ship started in March. Worryingly, it is the only strain which experts fear can be spread via human-to-human transmission.
It comes as the head of the WHO confirmed today that the number of confirmed cases of the deadly hantavirus which broke out on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic has risen to five.
Tedros Ghebreyesus said it is possible that more cases may be identified given the incubation period of the virus.