France Records First Hantavirus Case from Cruise Outbreak

(MENAFN) France has recorded its first confirmed hantavirus infection in a passenger evacuated from the MV Hondius, the vessel at the center of an ongoing viral outbreak, the country's health minister announced Monday.

The patient — a woman among five French nationals airlifted from Spain's Canary Islands and flown to France on Sunday — began displaying symptoms mid-flight, Health Minister Stephanie Rist told a radio station.

"Tests have come back positive for hantavirus," Rist said, disclosing that the patient's condition had "unfortunately deteriorated overnight."

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed via US social media platform X that the woman had already been symptomatic aboard the repatriation flight, which touched down shortly before 4:30 p.m. local time (1430 GMT) on Sunday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris, having departed from Tenerife.

The remaining four French evacuees tested negative but will be held in isolation for a minimum of 15 days, Rist said, noting that authorities retain the power to extend that period under current regulations.

Beyond the evacuees, officials have traced 22 additional French nationals who traveled on earlier flights connected to the case cluster — including routes between Saint Helena and Johannesburg and between Johannesburg and Amsterdam. The Health Ministry said eight passengers from the Saint Helena-Johannesburg leg were placed in isolation nearly a week ago, while others have been directed to contact health authorities and self-isolate immediately.

Hantavirus is a rare pathogen typically contracted through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, though the specific strain driving this outbreak is also capable of spreading from person to person.

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