France has confirmed its first case of hantavirus after a French woman evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for the virus, according to the country’s health ministry.
The woman, who began showing symptoms after returning to France, was confirmed positive through PCR testing and is currently receiving treatment in a specialist infectious diseases hospital. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist stated that her condition deteriorated overnight.
The case comes shortly after a mildly positive case involving a United States passenger who showed no symptoms. The American patient was transferred to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit for observation.
The MV Hondius, which departed South America on April 1, docked at Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife on Sunday amid an outbreak onboard. Reports indicate that three people have died in connection with the virus outbreak on the vessel.
Five French nationals were among those evacuated from the ship and flown out of Tenerife. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that one of the evacuees developed symptoms during the repatriation flight, prompting all five to be placed in strict isolation pending test results.
Authorities say the total number of confirmed and probable cases linked to the ship has risen to nine, including two confirmed deaths and one additional suspected fatality.
The outbreak involves the Andes virus strain, the only hantavirus known to have limited human-to-human transmission, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Despite the developments, the WHO has urged the public not to panic, stating that it does not expect a large-scale outbreak and that there is no evidence of widespread risk to the general population.
