US and French nationals test positive for hantavirus after leaving ship

The American national has arrived in Nebraska, while a French woman is isolating in Paris.

A French woman and an American national evacuated from the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak have tested positive for the virus, as the complex operation to repatriate those on board continued on Monday. The French woman was one of five French passengers who disembarked from the ship in Tenerife on Sunday before being flown to a hospital in Paris. The American passenger who was flown to Nebraska along with 16 others on Sunday evening also tested positive but had no symptoms. Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks began escorting the travellers from ship to shore in Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Sunday in an effort that was continuing on Monday. More than 100 people of 23 nationalities are to be evacuated in less than 48 hours in an operation described by Spanish authorities as “complex” and “unprecedented”. Three passengers from the MV Hondius – a Dutch couple and a German woman – have died, while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents. No vaccines or specific treatments exist for hantavirus, which is endemic in Argentina, where the ship departed in April. But health officials have insisted that the risk for global public health is low and played down comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rist said 22 more contact cases had been identified among French nationals, including eight people who had travelled on an 25 April flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg, and 14 more on a flight between Johannesburg and Amsterdam. The Dutch woman who died was on the flight to Johannesburg and later briefly boarded a flight to Amsterdam but was removed before takeoff. Health authorities in several countries have been tracking passengers who had already disembarked from the ship, plus anyone who may have come into contact with them.

Following the first confirmed case of hantavirus in France, identified among repatriated cruise ship passengers from the MV Hondius, French health authorities have implemented strict containment measures to prevent the spread of the virus. The infected passenger's condition worsened overnight, prompting enhanced vigilance and protocol adjustments. A total of five high-risk French passengers were isolated upon arrival near Paris, with one testing positive and four others hospitalized for monitoring. The French government has mandated a 42-day quarantine or isolation for those exposed, as laid out in a new decree. An extended hospital stay is now required even for asymptomatic individuals. Contact tracing has identified 22 potential contact cases across international flights. Regional Health Agencies are tasked with monitoring isolation and escalating cases with symptoms to specialized epidemic response units. France's response, including comparison with measures taken in Greece and Spain, is among the strictest in the EU. Experts stress the uncertainty surrounding the virus's transmission patterns and its significant fatality rate (20%-40%). The government continues to refine its strategy, aiming to “break the chain” of transmission early in the outbreak.

A French woman repatriated from the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus and is currently in intensive care in a specialized infectious diseases hospital in Paris. Her condition deteriorated rapidly after presenting symptoms during the repatriation flight.

An American national and a French woman evacuated from the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have tested positive, officials said Monday, as the complex operation to repatriate those on board continued.