Hantavirus live updates: Patient in France presenting 'severe form' of virus

A hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship has now confirmed 10 cases, including two deaths and one suspected death, according to health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 41 people across the U.S. are under monitoring for potential infection, including 16 repatriated passengers quarantined at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for 42 days. Two others were transferred to Atlanta for further assessment, while seven former passengers and 16 travel-exposed individuals remain isolated at home. In France, one cruise ship passenger with hantavirus is in intensive care, while 26 close contacts tested negative but stay in hospital isolation due to the virus’s 30-40% lethality rate and 42-day incubation period. French Health Minister Stephanie Rist stated all contacts will be tested three times weekly. Meanwhile, Kansas health officials hospitalized three high-risk exposed individuals for observation, though no symptoms were initially reported. The Netherlands’ Radboudumc hospital confirmed 12 quarantined staff members were not contagious after blood tests, though they continue a six-week precautionary quarantine. The CDC emphasized no Americans currently test positive, with exposed individuals advised to avoid travel and maintain isolation. Health departments across affected regions remain in coordination with the CDC to monitor the situation.