Critically ill French hantavirus patient is on an artificial lung as outbreak grows to 11
PBS • • health
Key Points:
- A woman infected with hantavirus is on life support using an artificial lung device to relieve pressure on her lungs and heart, described as "the final stage of supportive care."
- The MV Hondius cruise ship has completed evacuation of passengers and crew and is returning to the Netherlands for cleaning and disinfection; all confirmed and suspected hantavirus cases are among those who were on the ship.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) reports no current signs of a larger outbreak but warns more cases may appear due to the virus's long incubation period; early detection and treatment improve survival rates.
- Argentina is sending experts to investigate the outbreak's origin, focusing on locations visited by a Dutch couple—the first infected passengers—who may have been exposed to rodents carrying the virus during a bird-watching tour.
- Twelve hospital staff in the Netherlands are quarantined for six weeks after mishandling bodily fluids from a hantavirus-positive patient evacuated from the cruise, although the risk of infection is considered low.