PLAGUE

Rat Virus Crisis Spreads to New Country

A French national is the latest to contract the hantavirus as health authorities scramble to contain the crisis.

A person from France has just fallen ill with hantavirus despite never stepping foot on the cruise liner where the current outbreak began. The individual was apparently diagnosed with the rodent-borne virus after taking a flight alongside someone with the disease, marking the first confirmed infection in someone with no direct connection to the MV Hondius. Three further patients have been evacuated for treatment elsewhere, including a British medic from the ship, a sailor of Dutch nationality, and one German guest. World Health Organization chief Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus has said the trio is currently “on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands.” Another person has been hospitalized in Zurich, where authorities insist there is “no risk to the Swiss public.” The pathogen behind the outbreak, dubbed the Andes virus, stands alone among hantaviruses for its ability to spread between humans, with a mortality rate that may reach 40 percent. A Dutch woman aged 69 left the vessel at Saint Helena, flew onward to Johannesburg, and died there—potentially exposing as many as 114 fellow travelers.