Hantavirus: a scientific mission to Ushuaïa, all French contact cases negative

This is good news. Thursday May 14, the Minister of Health announced on the X platform that “all cases of contact with a person positive for l’hantaviruspresent in France”, were “tested negative, without exception”. Stéphanie Rist specifies that as a precautionary measure, these 26 people are “all placed in hospital isolation”and “will continue to be medically monitored and tested 3 times a week”.

Questioned by Agence France Presse, Karine Lacombe, head of the infectious and tropical diseases department at Saint-Antoine hospital (Paris) also believes that this is “very good news”. “Even if they were to be positive later, they could not have infected people before.” The maximum incubation period is estimated at 42 days so these 26 people can still develop hantavirus. As these people are currently all isolated, even if they develop the disease they will not transmit the virus. These 26 contact cases were hospitalized in different hospitals in France.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has estimated that “the risk to the population of the European Union and the European Economic Area is very low” in view of the current situation.

In an open letter, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked the people of Tenerife for the “moral courage” they showed in agreeing to help evacuate passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship. “On behalf of the World Health Organization, on behalf of the passengers who have now returned home, and on behalf of those families around the world who have followed with hope (the events on) this island: thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you ».

The authorities now want to understand where this virus comes from. For this, an Argentine scientific mission is going to Ushuaia next week. Objective ? Check for the possible presence on site of rodent vectors of hantavirus. “The idea is to take samples (of rodents) next week,” the director of Epidemiology for the province of Tierra del Fuego, Juan Petrina, told the press in Ushuaia. The samples will be analyzed and should be known within four weeks.