Hantavirus Reveals Latin America Is Unprepared, Warns The Lancet Commentary

A new comment published in The Lancet warns that the recent hantavirus event exposes persistent gaps in surveillance, preparedness, and coordinated response to public health emergencies in Latin America. Access the full comment here

MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Latin American Technical Working Group, composed of former health ministers from the region, public health experts, epidemiologists, academics, and civil society representatives, published a new comment in The Lancet arguing that Latin America urgently needs a regional rapid-response platform to prevent, prepare for, and respond to infectious threats. Read the full text in The Lancet here.

The comment, written collectively by the Technical Working Group, takes as its starting point the recent hantavirus event associated with the cruise ship MV Hondius. Although this episode is epidemiologically distinct from COVID-19 and does not necessarily represent a high risk of major escalation, the authors argue that it serves as a critical test of the region’s capacity to coordinate responses to emerging outbreaks.

“Hantavirus reminds us that infectious threats do not wait until countries are fully prepared. Latin America needs regional mechanisms that make it possible to act quickly, coordinate capacities, and translate technical evidence into timely responses,” said Dr. Patricia García, former Minister of Health of Peru and member of the Latin American Technical Working Group.

The Technical Working Group warns that Latin America continues to be underestimated within global health security agendas, despite its high exposure to zoonotic, arboviral, and re-emerging threats, as well as structural factors such as cross-border mobility, environmental disruption, climate change, and institutional fragmentation. Over the past decade, the region has faced the emergence or re-emergence of viruses such as Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, measles, dengue, and hantavirus.

The group’s central message is clear: Latin America cannot continue to depend solely on fragmented national responses or global frameworks that do not always translate into effective regional implementation. The region needs its own platform to coordinate surveillance, preparedness, cross-border response, laboratory networks, and regional production of essential health goods.

“As a region, we know our vulnerabilities, but also our capacities. The challenge is to move from declarative coordination to a regional platform with clear functions, political legitimacy, and operational capacity. Preparedness for public health emergencies must be built before crises, not during them,” said Dr. Ariel Terrón, Director of the AHF Global Public Health Institute for Latin America and the Caribbean and member of the Latin American Technical Working Group.

The comment emphasizes that a Latin American platform would not replace the Pan American Health Organization, but could complement it by providing regional capacity focused on implementation, cross-border coordination, and responses adapted to Latin America’s epidemiological, political, and institutional needs.

Without a stronger regional architecture, the Technical Working Group concludes, Latin America risks repeating the cycle of panic and neglect: urgent responses during crises, followed by a lack of sustained investment in structural capacities for prevention, preparedness, and response.

Read the full comment published in The Lancet here.

About the Latin American Technical Working Group: The Latin American Technical Working Group brings together former health ministers from the region, public health experts, epidemiologists, academics and civil society representatives to discuss and propose solutions to the challenges of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response in Latin America. Its work seeks to contribute to strengthening the regional public health architecture, with an emphasis on coordination, integration, surveillance, rapid response, legitimacy, sustainable financing and multisectoral cooperation.

The AHF Global Public Health Institute develops and advocates for evidence-based policy change to create a more equitable and effective global health architecture. With a focus on infectious diseases and health systems, our work addresses critical gaps in global health security, equity, governance, law, and finance. The AHF Global Public Health Institute is part of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Visit our website for more information: ahfinstitute.org

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 3 million individuals across 50 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center’s highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.