Hantavirus : Une Française rapatriée du MV Hondius testée positive, 22 cas contacts
A French passenger repatriated from the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on Monday, May 11, 2026. Twenty-two contact cases have already been identified in France.
The health crisis aboard the MV Hondius, which is scheduled to return to the Netherlands this Monday, has reignited international concern. At this stage, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded six confirmed cases of hantavirus out of eight suspected cases, including three deaths. Among the evacuated cruise passengers, an American citizen and a French woman have tested positive for this rare virus, for which there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment, and which can cause severe acute respiratory syndrome.
Concerning health condition and strict isolation
Of the five French citizens repatriated and placed in isolation in Paris, one woman's health unfortunately deteriorated overnight. The test results came back positive, the Minister of Health confirmed on France Inter radio. The five passengers are currently hospitalized in specialized units with controlled airflow to prevent any contamination. They will remain isolated for a minimum of 15 days, or longer depending on how the situation develops.
Contact tracing: a call for vigilance
The Ministry of Health has identified 22 contact cases in France, spread across two separate flights. Eight passengers from the April 25th flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg were identified and placed in isolation as soon as they were notified. Meanwhile, fourteen other passengers from the Johannesburg-Amsterdam flight are being actively sought. Minister Stéphanie Rist has made a direct appeal to these individuals to contact the health authorities to reinforce precautionary measures.
It should be noted that a Dutch cruise passenger, who has since passed away, had travelled on the flight to Johannesburg and briefly boarded the aircraft bound for Amsterdam before getting off again.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will chair another follow-up meeting this Monday afternoon. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon reiterated on BFMTV that the situation is being monitored very closely, justifying the decision for prolonged isolation of up to 42 days to fully cover the incubation period.
However, the government is urging people not to give in to collective panic. The spokesperson emphasized that France is not in a crisis management situation similar to that of the Covid-19 pandemic. The identified strain, the Andes hantavirus, is a rare variant capable of human-to-human transmission, with a particularly long incubation period of up to six weeks.
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