PARIS: French Health Minister Stephanie Rist admitted on Tuesday that authorities remain uncertain whether the hantavirus linked to a cruise ship outbreak has mutated. However, she added that officials feel rather reassured at this stage.
Limited information on virus behaviour
Rist addressed the National Assembly and stressed that experts still lack complete virus sequencing. “There are things we do not know about this virus,” she said. Health teams continue to monitor the situation closely while they await fuller genetic data that could confirm any changes in the strain.
Moreover, the outbreak connects to the MV Hondius cruise ship. The vessel carried passengers on a polar expedition from Argentina before it docked in Spain’s Canary Islands. Officials have linked the cases to the Andes strain of hantavirus. They are consulting with Argentina, where a similar outbreak occurred in 2019.
WHO monitors situation carefully
The World Health Organisation has confirmed nine cases so far and expects more due to close contact among passengers before detection. Experts note that tspreads mainly through rodents, though rare human-to-human transmission can occur. Symptoms usually start with flu-like signs such as fever and fatigue weeks after exposure.
The WHO reports no sign of a wider outbreak and states there is nothing unusual about this strain beyond its current location. French authorities continue to isolate suspected cases as a precaution.
Italy examines possible contact case
In a related development, Italy’s Spallanzani Hospital will analyse biological samples from a 25-year-old man who shared a plane with a woman who later died from hantavirus. The man remains in quarantine in Calabria as health teams investigate any possible exposure.
