Version of hantavirus behind deadly cruise ship outbreak matches known strain, France says

Key Points:

• France's Pasteur Institute fully sequenced the Andes virus found in a French passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship, confirming it matches known South American strains with no new traits increasing transmissibility or danger.
• Health Minister Stéphanie Rist emphasized there is no evidence of a more transmissible or dangerous form of the virus emerging, and the virus detected aligns with previously monitored South American variants.
• The Andes virus is unique among hantaviruses for its ability to transmit between humans, and genomic analysis showed the virus in cruise patients was nearly identical and about 97% similar to strains found in South American rodents.
• The French passenger infected on the MV Hondius is in serious condition and receiving treatment in Paris, while the outbreak on the ship has resulted in 10 cases and three deaths, including a Dutch couple likely exposed during a visit to rodent-infested areas in South America.
• Pasteur Institute plans to share sequencing data internationally to aid scientific understanding and health monitoring of the virus, which typically spreads through contact with contaminated rodent waste and can cause severe respiratory illness.