Efforts to control hantavirus outbreak reach global scale while cases in Spain and France fuel uncertainty

"With the disembarkation of the Antarctic cruise ship MV Hondius progressing and with reports that there were no people with symptoms on board, experts and health authorities were confident during the early hours of Monday that the health crisis created by the hantavirus outbreak was entering a final phase that could be long quarantines last up to 42 days but without cause for major concern."

"Everything changed, however, within hours, after new diagnoses. The first, although ultimately ruled out the confirmatory test came back negative was that of a U.S. citizen about whom the country's authorities initially reported a weak positive result. There was less doubt although confirmation of the case came in two stages over the Spanish traveler who is isolated at the Gomez Ulla Military Hospital in Madrid."

"The Ministry of Health reported on Monday night that the first PCR test performed on him yielded a provisional positive result, but this became definitive on Tuesday. And there was no hesitation regarding the case of the French citizen admitted to the ICU, whose health deteriorated rapidly while she was being evacuated from Tenerife."

"All suspected and confirmed cases have been isolated and managed under strict medical supervision, minimizing the risk of further transmission. At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak, said the WHO chief, who, nevertheless, did not rule out that the situation could change and new cases could be detected."

Disembarkation of the MV Hondius continued after reports of no symptomatic people on board. Health authorities initially believed the hantavirus health crisis was entering a final phase, with quarantines potentially lasting up to 42 days. Confidence changed within hours after new diagnoses. A U.S. citizen had an initial weak positive report that was later ruled out after confirmatory testing. A Spanish traveler isolated at Gomez Ulla Military Hospital in Madrid received a provisional PCR positive result that became definitive on Tuesday. A French citizen in ICU care deteriorated rapidly during evacuation from Tenerife. WHO leadership stated that all suspected and confirmed cases were isolated and managed under strict supervision, with no current sign of a larger outbreak, while acknowledging the situation could change.

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