Critical Condition for French Woman Infected with Hantavirus on Cruise Ship
A French woman infected during the deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship is in critical condition and receiving treatment with an artificial lung at a Paris hospital. The French passenger being treated in Paris has developed a severe form of hantavirus that has triggered life-threatening complications affecting both her lungs and heart, according to Dr Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist at Bichat Hospital, as cited by AP.
Doctors have placed the woman on an advanced life-support system that circulates blood through an artificial lung to oxygenate it before returning it to the body. Lescure said the device is intended to ease the strain on her lungs and heart, giving the organs time to recover, describing it as “the final stage of supportive care.”
The outbreak has so far resulted in 11 reported infections, including nine confirmed cases, and three deaths. Following the evacuation of all passengers and most crew members, the cruise ship MV Hondius is now returning to the Netherlands, where the vessel will undergo cleaning and disinfection procedures.
WHO and Health Officials Provide Updates
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said confirmed and suspected infections have so far been limited to passengers and crew aboard the cruise ship. “At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” Tedros said. He added: “But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it's possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”
France’s top health officials said Tuesday that it remains unclear whether the hantavirus linked to the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has mutated, but stressed there is no evidence of wider circulation of the virus in the country. “We do not yet have the complete sequencing of the virus, which allows us to say with certainty today, even if we are rather reassured to date ... that this virus has not yet mutated,” French health minister Stéphanie Rist told lawmakers in remarks later shared on X.
So far, WHO has not identified anything unusual about the virus strain detected on the cruise ship, apart from the location of the outbreak. Argentina’s health ministry said Tuesday that a team of scientific experts will be deployed in the coming days to investigate the source of the hantavirus outbreak.
Investigation into the Source of the Outbreak
A Dutch couple, identified by WHO as the first cruise passengers infected with the virus, had spent several months travelling through Argentina and neighbouring South American countries before boarding the cruise ship. Both later died. Argentine authorities said the couple had joined a bird-watching tour that included a visit to a garbage dump, where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the virus, as cited by AP.
The health ministry said investigators will examine the landfill site and other locations visited by the couple where virus-carrying rats are known to be present. However, local officials in the province from which the cruise departed have disputed suggestions that the outbreak originated there.
