A deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius has health officials scrambling as a French passenger remains in critical condition on an artificial lung in Paris. The outbreak has now grown to 11 reported cases, including nine confirmed infections, while three passengers have already died after traveling aboard the expedition vessel.
Doctors at Bichat Hospital said the French woman developed a severe form of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare respiratory illness that can trigger heart and lung failure. Dr. Xavier Lescure, the infectious disease specialist treating her, described the treatment as “the final stage of supportive care” as doctors attempt to stabilize her condition using a machine that oxygenates blood outside the body.
According to the World Health Organization, hantaviruses are typically spread through contact with infected rodent urine, saliva, or droppings. The strain connected to the outbreak, known as the Andes virus, is especially concerning because rare person-to-person transmission has been documented. Symptoms can take up to eight weeks to appear and often begin with fever, chills, fatigue, and muscle pain before rapidly progressing into severe breathing complications.
Health officials believe a Dutch couple who later died may have first been exposed during a bird-watching excursion in South America before boarding the ship. Authorities in Argentina are now investigating several locations visited by the couple, including a landfill reportedly populated by rodents carrying the virus.
Meanwhile, evacuated passengers and crew members from multiple countries remain under quarantine as officials monitor for additional infections.
Lord give us the grace😪