Paris: France has reported its first confirmed case of hantavirus in a passenger repatriated from the MV Hondius cruise ship, amidst an outbreak on the vessel, according to the country's health minister on Monday. The patient, a woman among five French nationals evacuated from the ship, was flown from Spain's Canary Islands to France, as stated by Stephanie Rist to radio France Inter.
According to Anadolu Agency, the patient began showing symptoms during the evacuation flight between Tenerife and France's Le Bourget airport near Paris. Health Minister Stephanie Rist confirmed that tests for hantavirus returned positive and noted a deterioration in the patient's condition overnight. The French Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, communicated through social media platform X, indicating that the woman exhibited symptoms during the repatriation flight, which landed on Sunday shortly before 4:30 pm local time.
The other four French passengers tested negative for hantavirus but remain in isolation for at least 15 days, with authorities retaining the right to extend these isolation measures. Additionally, French health authorities have identified 22 nationals who were on earlier flights linked to this case cluster. Among these, eight individuals from a Saint Helena-Johannesburg flight have been in isolation for nearly a week, while others have been advised to contact health authorities and self-isolate.
In Spain, health officials have declared May 6 as 'day zero' for quarantine calculations. Two women previously hospitalized in Barcelona and Alicante tested negative for hantavirus. The Spanish Health Ministry confirmed that 14 Spanish passengers quarantined at Madrid's Gomez Ulla hospital are in good condition. May 6, established in consultation with the World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, serves as the starting point for quarantine measures that could last up to 42 days.
The MV Hondius was refueling and provisioning on Monday, with final repatriation flights to Australia and the Netherlands scheduled to depart later in the day. Disembarkation operations were expected to conclude by early evening, with the ship set to depart for the Netherlands to carry passengers' luggage for disinfection and the body of a deceased passenger.
Germany reported that four MV Hondius passengers were transferred to Frankfurt University Hospital, though none showed symptoms. Those in close contact are required to quarantine at home for up to 45 days due to the virus's incubation period. A German woman from the Hondius remains in stable condition at the University Hospital Dusseldorf, with ongoing virological testing showing no infection.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through rodents or their droppings, but the strain linked to this outbreak can spread between humans. Authorities continue to monitor and manage the situation to prevent further transmission.