French hantavirus victim critically ill and forced onto 'artificial lung'

A French woman infected during the deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship is now critically ill and being treated with an artificial lung in a Paris hospital as the number of reported cases rises to 11.

Doctors at Bichat Hospital said the woman is suffering from a severe form of the virus that has caused life-threatening lung and heart complications. Dr. Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist treating the patient, said she has been placed on a life support system that oxygenates blood outside the body before pumping it back in.

Per Sky News, Lescure described the treatment as “the final stage of supportive care.” He explained doctors hope the device can reduce pressure on the patient’s lungs and heart long enough for them to recover.

WHO says no sign of wider outbreak yet

Three people connected to the cruise have died so far, including a Dutch couple believed to have first contracted the virus while traveling through South America before boarding the ship.

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said all confirmed and suspected infections remain linked to passengers and crew from the MV Hondius.

“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” Tedros said per BBC News. He added: “But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”

Spanish health officials confirmed Tuesday that another passenger tested positive after being evacuated from the ship. The individual is currently quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid.

Health authorities say this is the first known hantavirus outbreak connected to a cruise ship. There is currently no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, although the WHO says early treatment improves survival chances.

Argentina investigates possible source of infection

Argentina’s health ministry announced it will send a team of experts to investigate where the outbreak may have started.

According to the WHO, the Dutch couple identified as the first infected cruise passengers had spent several months traveling across Argentina and neighboring countries before boarding the vessel. Both later died.

Argentine officials said the couple joined a bird watching tour that included a stop at a garbage dump where rodents carrying the virus may have been present. Investigators will now examine the landfill and other locations visited by the pair where infected rats are known to live.

However, local officials in the Argentine province where the cruise departed have disputed suggestions that the outbreak originated there.

Passengers evacuated as hospital staff enter quarantine

The evacuation of the MV Hondius has now been completed, with 87 passengers and 35 crew members escorted off the ship in Tenerife by teams wearing full protective suits and breathing masks.

Two flights later transported Dutch nationals, passengers from Australia and New Zealand, and crew members from the Philippines to Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Dutch authorities said all arrivals were placed into quarantine.

Some crew members remained onboard as the ship began sailing toward Rotterdam, where it will undergo cleaning and disinfection by operator Oceanwide Expeditions.

Hantavirus is typically spread through exposure to rodent droppings and rarely passes between people. However, officials say the Andes virus strain connected to this outbreak may spread person to person in uncommon cases.

Symptoms can include fever, chills, and muscle aches, with signs of illness appearing anywhere from one to eight weeks after exposure.

Tedros has advised all returning passengers to quarantine for 42 days either at home or in dedicated facilities, though he noted countries may enforce different monitoring policies.

Meanwhile, 12 employees at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen have also entered preventive quarantine after improperly handling bodily fluids from an infected patient.

As reported by NBC News, the hospital said the “risk of infection is low” but called the quarantine a “precaution.” Officials added that blood and urine samples should have been handled “according to a stricter procedure.”

Featured image credit: IMAGO/Zoonar