France Confirms First Hantavirus Case From Deadly Cruise Ship Outbreak

France has confirmed its first case linked to the hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, as the international evacuation and quarantine operation surrounding the vessel continued across several continents. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said a French passenger who had been repatriated from the ship tested positive after developing symptoms during the flight home from Tenerife.

The woman was among five French nationals evacuated from the Dutch-flagged vessel on Sunday and placed in isolation after arriving in Paris. According to Rist, her condition worsened overnight in hospital. “Tests came back positive,” the minister said in an interview with France Inter radio. The four other French passengers initially tested negative but are expected to undergo additional testing. French authorities have so far identified 22 contact cases connected to the outbreak.

The MV Hondius became the focus of an international health emergency after several passengers fell ill with the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only known variant capable of spreading between humans. Three people linked to the outbreak have died so far: a Dutch couple and a German woman.

The outbreak triggered a large-scale evacuation effort after the ship anchored off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said 94 passengers and crew members from 19 countries had already been evacuated on special flights, while roughly 34 others, mainly crew members, were expected to remain aboard as the vessel heads to the Netherlands.

Passengers wearing protective medical suits were escorted from the ship under strict sanitary controls before boarding military buses and being transferred to Tenerife South airport. Flights carrying evacuees departed for destinations including the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and several European countries.

US health authorities also confirmed a positive case among American passengers. A spokesperson for Nebraska Medicine said one of the 17 Americans evacuated from the ship tested positive but remained asymptomatic. The passenger was expected to be transferred to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival in the United States. Other American passengers were to be assessed individually to determine whether quarantine in specialized facilities would be necessary.

CDC acting director Jay Bhattacharya said some passengers might eventually be allowed to isolate at home if health officials determine they pose low risk to others. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that such an approach “may have risks.”

Health authorities in several countries have imposed strict isolation measures. Greece placed one evacuee in a 45-day quarantine in a negative-pressure hospital chamber in Athens. Four German passengers were transferred to Frankfurt for medical observation before moving into quarantine in their home regions. British passengers arriving in Manchester were sent for hospital monitoring followed by six weeks of self-isolation.

The World Health Organization currently lists six confirmed cases and two suspected infections connected to the ship. WHO officials continue to stress that the broader public health risk remains low despite international concern surrounding the Andes virus strain.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director for epidemic preparedness and prevention, urged caution but rejected comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic,” she said, explaining that hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact” rather than airborne community transmission like coronavirus.

The WHO believes the initial infection may have occurred before the expedition began in Argentina, with further transmission later taking place onboard the vessel. However, Argentine health officials questioned whether the Dutch passenger connected to the first infections could realistically have contracted the virus in Ushuaia due to the incubation period.

Authorities are now racing to trace dozens of passengers who left the ship earlier in the voyage before the outbreak became widely known. Around 40 people reportedly disembarked during a stop on the island of St. Helena after the first onboard death. Several countries are monitoring former passengers and potential contacts, including suspected cases in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

The ship itself is expected to depart Tenerife for Rotterdam with a reduced crew, where Dutch authorities plan to disinfect the vessel. The body of the German passenger who died onboard will also be removed there.

Hantavirus is primarily spread through contact with infected rodent droppings or airborne particles. It can cause severe respiratory disease or kidney-related complications, and there are currently no vaccines or specific treatments available.