France Confirms First Hantavirus Case Related to MV Cruise Ship Hondius

JAKARTA - France has recorded the first confirmed case of hantavirus in a passenger who was repatriated from the MV Hondius cruise ship, where the outbreak of the disease was detected.

The patient is a woman who was among five French nationals evacuated from the ship and flown from the Canary Islands, Spain, to France on Sunday.

The patient began experiencing symptoms during an evacuation flight between the Spanish island of Tenerife and Le Bourget Airport near Paris.

"The test results showed positive hantavirus," Health Minister Stephanie Rist told France Inte radio.

The patient's condition is said to have worsened overnight.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said via the X platform that the woman had shown symptoms during the repatriation flight which landed on Sunday just before 16.30 local time (14.30 GMT).

Meanwhile, four other French citizens were declared negative for the virus, but will still undergo isolation for at least 15 days, Rist. He added that authorities could extend the isolation period in accordance with applicable regulations.

French authorities have also identified 22 French citizens who were on previous flights linked to the cluster of cases, including routes between Saint Helena and Johannesburg and between Johannesburg and Amsterdam.

The Ministry of Health said eight French citizens from the Saint Helena-Johannesburg flight had been placed in isolation almost a week ago, while others were asked to contact health authorities and self-isolate.

Hantavirus is a rare disease that is usually transmitted through infected rodents or their feces. However, the type of virus that causes this outbreak can also be transmitted between humans.