French Evacuee Develops Symptoms Amid Hantavirus Crisis on Cruise Ship

(MENAFN) A French passenger who was evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius developed symptoms while being transported on a repatriation flight on Sunday, amid an ongoing hantavirus incident linked to the vessel, where three fatalities have been reported and multiple infections confirmed.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that one of the five French nationals removed from the ship began showing symptoms during the flight back to Paris. He added that the individual was immediately placed in strict isolation along with the rest of the evacuees.

All five French passengers are currently undergoing medical testing and evaluations. Lecornu also noted that France plans to enforce isolation measures for contacts in order to “protect the general population.”

The situation unfolded as international evacuation efforts continued near Spain’s Canary Islands, close to West Africa, where the Dutch-flagged expedition ship arrived on Sunday morning.

Earlier in the day, Spanish Health Minister Mónica García stated that all passengers and crew members on board had shown no symptoms following health checks conducted after the ship docked.

However, later in the evening, García confirmed that 94 individuals of 19 different nationalities — including Dutch, Canadian, and Turkish citizens — had been evacuated during the initial phase of the operation.

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