French Passenger Quarantined After Showing Symptoms of Hantavirus

(MENAFN) A French passenger aboard a repatriation flight from Spain's Canary Islands developed symptoms of hantavirus Sunday, triggering immediate isolation measures after being evacuated from the stricken cruise ship MV Hondius, where the rare viral disease has already claimed three lives and sickened multiple others.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed that one of five French nationals evacuated from the vessel displayed symptoms en route to Paris, prompting authorities to place the individual — along with all others on board — under strict quarantine upon landing. All five are now undergoing comprehensive medical testing, Lecornu said, warning that France would enforce isolation protocols for close contacts "to protect the general population."

The alarming mid-air development unfolded as large-scale evacuation operations pressed forward off the Canary Islands, near the West African coast, where the Dutch-flagged expedition vessel docked Sunday morning. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia had earlier declared all passengers and crew asymptomatic following thorough health screenings conducted upon the ship's arrival. By Sunday night, however, Garcia confirmed that 94 individuals representing 19 nationalities — among them Dutch, Canadian, and Turkish citizens — had successfully disembarked in the first round of evacuations.

World Health Organization pandemic preparedness director Maria Van Kerkhove announced that evacuation operations would resume at dawn Monday, with full completion anticipated by 7 p.m. local time (1800 GMT). Roughly 30 crew members are set to remain aboard to navigate the ship back to the Netherlands, where it will undergo full disinfection.

Spain's 14 nationals were the first to leave the vessel, airlifted by military aircraft to Madrid and placed in a military hospital for quarantine and testing.

The operation has not been without friction. Fernando Clavijo, the regional president of the Canary Islands, raised objections to the evacuation procedures — concerns that Spanish authorities swiftly rejected. Officials dismissed fears of infected rodents reaching the shoreline, stating the likelihood of an Andean rodent swimming to the Canary coast was "zero."

Hantavirus, typically contracted through exposure to infected rodents or their droppings, is considered rare. The particular strain driving this outbreak is especially concerning, as it carries the capacity for human-to-human transmission.

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