French national tests positive for hantavirus on arrival in France
Around 100 cases of hantavirus are recorded annually in France - but of a less serious variant. They are mainly in north-east France
Five French nationals were evacuated to Paris after arriving in France on May 10. Image shows them being transported via ambulance after their arrival
Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo
A French national has tested positive for hantavirus after being evacuated from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius docked at the Canary Islands.
The woman, one of five French nationals evacuated from the ship, is isolating in Paris and has seen her condition deteriorate, said Health Minister Stéphanie Rist.
All of the nationals evacuating from the ship are isolating, however 22 possible ‘contact cases’ linked to the woman are being traced.
The French nationals were among over 90 people evacuated from the ship after it docked. This includes 20 Britons, evacuated to Manchester and currently isolating at a Merseyside hospital.
The ship garnered worldwide media attention following the announcement that three people on the ship had died of hantavirus, throwing this little-known disease into the spotlight and stirring fears of an imminent Covid-style disease outbreak.
Cases were linked to the rare but deadly Andes variant, which has a fatality rate of up to 50% according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
What is hantavirus?
‘Hantavirus’ is the name for a group of diseases spread primarily by rodents such as mice and rats, although it can also be spread by other animals including bats, moles, and shrews.
Generally, different animal species carry different variants of hantavirus.
It was identified following the outbreak of the Korean War but probably existed long before this, with a similar disease recorded in Ancient China.
Researchers later believed the virus was the cause of several major disease outbreaks among troops in the US Civil War, World War One, and World War Two.
The disease is named after the Hantaan river in South Korea where it was first confirmed.
There is a major difference between ‘old-world’ (Eurasian) hantaviruses and ‘new-world’ variants originating in North and South America, including the Andes variant present on the ship.
The new-world variants were confirmed in 1993 following an outbreak in the United States, but again are thought to have existed prior to this.
Old-world variants are known for causing ‘hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome’ (impacting brain and kidney functions), with new-world variants having more of an impact on the pulmonary system (lungs and breathing).
Other symptoms from all variants include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath, appearing one to eight weeks after being infected.
In both cases, the disease is spread from rodents to humans via air droplets, particularly inhaling air or dust particles that have come into contact with the droppings.
It can also be spread by eating food contaminated with urine or excrement from an infected animal.
2,000 cases in France between 2005 - 2024
The Eurasian variants are fairly common and around 100,000 people are infected per year, with the disease having a fatality rate under 1% to up to 15%, depending on the specific variant.
Santé publique France identified over 2,000 cases of Eurasian hantavirus in mainland France between 2005 - 2024.
Annual figures vary, from 14 in 2013 up to 320 in 2021, and outbreaks rarely make headlines.
In France hantaviruses are primarily present in the northeastern quarter of the country.
Three variants have been identified in France, and are almost exclusively spread through voles living in forests and dwellings such as attics, sheds, barns, etc.
Deadly South American variant
The outbreak identified on the cruise ship belongs to the more serious new-world variant, known as the Andes variant.
Spread primarily by the Andes pygmy rice rat, the variant was first recorded in the 1990s in Argentina and Chile.
While significantly fewer numbers of these variants are recorded each year, it has a fatality rate of up to 50%.
In 2025, of 66 cases identified in Argentina, in 2025 there were 21 deaths, a mortality rate of 32%.
There is no known cure for any form of hantavirus, with treatment based on symptoms presented by the patient.
While research in South Korea developed a vaccine against hantavirus, it is said to be of limited efficacy. It only works against variants found in north-east Asia, and its protection rate is not clear.
It is not authorised for use in Europe or the United States.
Unlike Eurasian variants, the Andes variant can be spread through human contact, particularly at the beginning of the virus’ incubation period.
WHO officials state that the risk of an outbreak remains ‘very low’ and that human-human transmission only occurs during periods of frequent contact (for example, on a cruise ship).
“This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from WHO.
Those evacuated from the ship to France need to self-isolate for 45 days as a precautionary measure, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed.
This 45-day quarantine is also in place for Britons who have been evacuated to the UK from the cruise ship.
