A French woman infected with hantavirus during a deadly outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship is in critical condition and receiving treatment with an artificial lung, AP reported on 14/5. Doctors at Bichat Hospital in Paris, where the patient is being cared for, confirmed the information yesterday.

To date, this outbreak has recorded a total of 11 cases, with 9 officially confirmed. Three people on the cruise ship have died, including a Dutch couple. Health officials believe these individuals were the first to be exposed to the virus during their stay in South America.

An ambulance enters Bichat Hospital in Paris on 12/5, where the woman who tested positive for hantavirus is receiving intensive care. *Photo: AP/Michel Euler*

Doctor Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist at Bichat Hospital, stated that the French patient is experiencing life-threatening heart and lung issues. He explained that she is currently using a life support device to pump blood through an artificial lung to provide oxygen before returning the blood to her body. The goal of this method is to reduce pressure on the lungs and heart, allowing these organs time to recover. Doctor Lescure referred to this as "the final stage of supportive care".

According to Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), confirmed and suspected cases are currently limited to the ship's passengers and crew. "Currently, there is no indication of a larger outbreak. But of course, the situation could change, and due to the virus's long incubation period, it is possible we will see more cases in the coming weeks", he said.

The latest confirmed case is a Spanish passenger. This individual tested positive after being evacuated from the ship and is currently in isolation at a military hospital in Madrid.

Argentina's Ministry of Health announced on 13/5 that it would send a team of scientific experts in the coming days to investigate the origin of the outbreak. This is considered the first hantavirus outbreak ever recorded on a cruise ship. While there is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for hantavirus, WHO affirms that early detection and treatment can improve survival rates.

Argentine officials stated that the Dutch couple, the first fatalities, had spent several months in Argentina and neighboring countries before boarding the ship. Officials reported that the two had participated in a bird-watching tour, which included a stop at a landfill where they might have been exposed to disease-carrying rodents. The team of experts will examine this landfill and other locations the couple visited.

On 10/5, a total of 87 passengers and 35 crew members aboard the MV Hondius were escorted ashore in Tenerife, Spain, as part of an international evacuation operation. This operation concluded on the night of 11/5. Several countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, dispatched special flights to retrieve their citizens. After the evacuation was completed, the MV Hondius is now en route back to the Netherlands for thorough disinfection.

Hantavirus typically spreads through rodent waste and is rarely transmitted from person to person. However, the Andes hantavirus variant identified in this outbreak has the ability to transmit between people in rare cases. Symptoms include fever, chills, and muscle aches, usually appearing one to eight weeks after exposure.

In the Netherlands, Radboud University Medical Center announced that 12 healthcare workers must quarantine for 6 weeks after improperly handling bodily fluids from a hantavirus patient from the MV Hondius. The hospital stated that despite a "low risk of infection", precautionary isolation measures were implemented because the patient's blood and urine samples should have been processed under "stricter protocols". This patient is currently receiving treatment in Nijmegen after returning on an evacuation flight last week.

By Binh Minh (AP)