Two More Test Positive for Hantavirus from Cruise Ship

On Monday, officials revealed that two evacuees from the MV Hondius cruise ship, an American and a French woman, have been diagnosed with hantavirus. The French woman, one of five individuals transported to Paris for isolation, began experiencing symptoms on Sunday night and subsequently tested positive, as stated by Health Minister Stephanie Rist. Late Sunday, the U.S. health department reported that one American evacuee exhibited mild symptoms, while another tested positive for the Andes virus, the only strain of hantavirus known to spread between humans. Three passengers—a Dutch couple and a German woman—have succumbed to this rare disease, which primarily transmits through rodents. Health officials emphasized that the public health risk remains low, contrasting it with COVID-19.