Hantavirus detected in France tourist now isolated in Spain

A Franco-Argentine tourist who visited France in July has been detected with hantavirus, prompting international concern, the French Health Ministry reported on Thursday. The patient, who exhibited minimal symptoms, is now in isolation in Spain. The ministry emphasized that comprehensive measures are in place to trace the patient's travel history.

Experts are scheduled to convene on Thursday to deliberate on subsequent steps, and Europe-wide coordination is being arranged. The infection, caused by the Andes strain of the virus - the only one capable of human-to-human transmission - was confirmed on Thursday. This strain is distinct from the one responsible for a recent deadly outbreak on a cruise ship that triggered a global health alert earlier this year.

The World Health Organization declared the end of that outbreak in early July after the last affected individual left quarantine. A French woman who contracted the virus on the MV Hondius was discharged from intensive care on Thursday after nearly three months in the hospital, having been repatriated in May alongside four other French nationals, none of whom contracted the disease.

The MV Hondius cruise resulted in 13 cases, including three fatalities. Hantavirus, transmitted by rodents, is a rare virus with no vaccines or specific treatments available. While the cruise-related cases are significant, the global annual number of hantavirus infections is much higher, typically stemming from close human contact with rodents.

The Andes hantavirus was confirmed in the Franco-Argentine individual who traveled to France and is now isolated in Spain. Symptoms have resolved. Public health actions include contact tracing and European coordination. The Andes virus is the sole hantavirus known to spread between humans; most infections result from rodent exposure.