A French-Argentinian tourist who visited France in July has tested positive for hantavirus. Following his stay in France, the individual and his family have been isolating in Spain, according to the French Ministry of Health. The patient exhibited only mild symptoms and is currently symptom-free.
Efforts are underway to trace the tourist's travel itinerary, as announced by the Ministry of Health. Coordination is also taking place at the European level to manage the situation.
It has been confirmed that the tourist was infected with the Andes variant of the virus, which is known to be responsible for an earlier outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. This variant is the only known strain of the hantavirus that can be transmitted from person to person.
The Health Ministry in Paris has convened a meeting with experts on Thursday afternoon to discuss further steps. Additional information is expected to be released later in the evening.
French authorities have not commented on whether this case is linked to the hantavirus outbreak on the "MV Hondius" in May, which resulted in three deaths and at least 13 infections. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak over at the beginning of July.
