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Hantavirus France

Consolidated tracking of the MV Hondius episode on the France side. Sources: Santé publique France, Ministry of Health, DGS, Matignon, verified press.

1 confirmed case French woman, Bichat Hospital (Paris 18^th), on ECMO
26 / 26 contacts in isolation, all PCR-negative 22 flight contact cases + 4 PCR-negative Bichat repatriates. S. Rist announcement, 14 May 2026. 3 PCR tests/week, coordination by SpF + INSERM + ANRS MIE.
5 repatriated passengers 4 tested negative, 1 positive (the Bichat patient)
42 d max quarantine Decree of 11 May 2026 — Andes virus maximum incubation period

Mobilised hospitals

Bichat University Hospital (AP-HP, Paris 18^th) — Confirmed case (ECMO) and 4 repatriated passengers tested negative. Infectious diseases service led by Prof. Xavier Lescure.
Pitié-Salpêtrière (AP-HP, Paris 13^th) — 3 teenagers with their parents, contact cases from the Saint Helena → Johannesburg flight.
Rennes University Hospital (Ille-et-Vilaine) — 1 contact case transferred from Concarneau on 11 May 2026. Regional reference centre for infectious diseases.
Marseille University Hospital (AP-HM) — 1 contact case hospitalised per the Ministry of Health (12 May 2026).
Angers University Hospital (Maine-et-Loire) — State-of-the-art isolation container with two airtight sterile rooms, installed on 13 May 2026 to accommodate possible suspected cases (France Info, 13 May 2026).

Detailed tracking

1 French national positive at Bichat (ICU) + 26 contact cases in hospital isolation, all PCR-negative (S. Rist announcement, 14 May 2026)

Confirmed case: 1 French national tested positive
Announced 11 May 2026 by the government spokesperson. Hospitalised at Bichat. First Andes confirmation in France.
MV Hondius passengers: 5 French nationals at Bichat Hospital (Paris 18th) — 1 positive in serious condition (ICU), 4 tested negative
Repatriated by medical flight from Tenerife on 10 May. No French crew members on board. Update by Stéphanie Rist on 12 May afternoon: 'Four of them are well and tested negative. The fifth is still in ICU and in serious condition' (Le Monde press conference, 12 May 2026, 17:07).
Return-flight contacts: 22 flight contacts identified (8 Saint Helena → JNB on 25 April + 14 JNB → Amsterdam) — incl. 3 teenagers at Pitié-Salpêtrière, 1 transferred to Rennes (from Concarneau), 1 at Marseille
8 on the Saint Helena → Johannesburg flight on 25 April ('currently hospitalised') + 14 on the Johannesburg → Amsterdam flight ('being hospitalised'). 'All contact cases will be tested' with results in 24 h (Stéphanie Rist, press conference 12 May at 16:00 and 17:47).
PCR results — 14 May: 26 people in hospital isolation — ALL tested PCR-negative, without exception (S. Rist on X, 14 May 2026)
Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on X that 'all contact cases of a person positive for Hantavirus, present in France, have tested negative, without exception'. 26 people in total = 22 flight contact cases + 4 PCR-negative Bichat repatriates (the 5th being the confirmed patient). Scientific coordination by Santé publique France, INSERM and ANRS MIE. Monitoring at 3 PCR tests per week. 'It is now possible to rule out any earlier contamination of other people at this stage of the scientific work.' From now on, health authorities will not communicate on these results except in case of a positive.
First transfer outside Île-de-France: 1 Breton contact case (Concarneau, Finistère) transferred to Rennes University Hospital
Confined at home in Concarneau, transferred on 11 May 2026 to Rennes University Hospital (Ille-et-Vilaine), regional reference centre for infectious diseases. He was on the repatriation flight (Ouest-France, 11 May 2026).
Reinforced quarantine: Confirmed patient: up to 42 days max. Contact cases: 'about fifteen days' per the decrees (Stéphanie Rist, 12 May)
The decree of 11 May 2026 provides for up to 42 days for confirmed cases (Andes virus maximum incubation). For asymptomatic contact cases, the Minister of Health clarified on 12 May 2026 that hospitalisation is planned for 'about fifteen days' — an initial observation period extended to 42 days if doubt or evolution.
Legal framework: Decree by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, published in the Official Journal of 11 May 2026
Isolation measures adapted to contact cases, protective for the general population. Crisis cell at Matignon, Monday 11 May. The escalation to hospital quarantine for the 22 contacts was confirmed by Matignon (Raphaël Grably, BFM TV, evening of 11 May 2026).
Regional isolation capacity: State-of-the-art isolation container installed at Angers University Hospital (Maine-et-Loire)
Two airtight sterile rooms, integrated oxygen and heating, capable of accommodating suspected cases under hospital conditions. Installation reported by France Info on 13 May 2026. First documented regional solution to expand isolation capacity beyond Paris.
Regional mapping of contact cases: 7 French hospitals mobilised: Bichat (Paris 18, confirmed case + 4 negative), Pitié-Salpêtrière (Paris 13, 3 teens + parents), Rennes (Concarneau + Morbihan couple), Marseille, Pellegrin Bordeaux (Vienne couple), Rouen, Angers (capacity). No symptoms reported among contact cases as of 15 May.
Three new geographic confirmations published between 12 and 16 May: (a) a couple from Vienne department transferred to CHU Pellegrin in Bordeaux on 12 May for a minimum 14-day quarantine, renewable (France 3 Aquitaine, my-angers.info, 13 May); (b) an asymptomatic couple from Morbihan admitted to CHU Pontchaillou in Rennes on 12 May (France 3 Bretagne, 13 May); (c) a man admitted as contact case to Rouen University Hospital on the evening of 12 May, asymptomatic, PCR-negative (ICI Normandie, 13 May). These individuals were already counted among the 22 flight contacts announced; only their place of hospitalisation was clarified after the fact. The total remains 26 (22 flight contacts + 4 Bichat-negative).
Student contact cases in Paris: Paris Rectorat confirms on Friday 15 May that 3 student contact cases have been identified in 3 different Paris schools
The most reported is a year-8 student (classe de cinquième) at the Lavoisier middle-and-high school (5<sup>th</sup> arrondissement), a passenger on the same flight as the infected Dutch cruise traveller. He returned to class for a week before being placed in isolation with his family at the hospital. Several PCR tests were performed; the last on Tuesday 12 May: all negative (ARS Île-de-France). The 5<sup>th</sup> arrondissement town hall wrote to families: 'There is therefore no health risk to fear, given what we know about hantavirus'. Rectorat announcement reported by CNews and Orange Actu on 16 May 2026.
WHO assessment: All MV Hondius passengers classified as 'high-risk contacts'
Epidemiologist Antoine Flahault compares the individual severity of Andes virus to Ebola's. Risk to the general population: low (WHO).

Legal and operational framework

Decree of 11 May 2026 (Sébastien Lecornu, Prime Minister) — reinforced isolation measures, published in the Official Journal.
DGS-Urgent n°2026-04 (11 May 2026, Prof. Didier Lepelletier) — recommendations for doctors and pharmacists. Read the PDF.
Press conference by Stéphanie Rist (Minister of Health) and Caroline Semaille (Director General, Santé publique France) on 12 May 2026: 'no evidence of diffuse circulation of the virus' in France.
Crisis cell at Matignon, Monday 11 May 2026.
Country protocol — see the full France protocol sheet.

Sources cited on this page

See the full source index · Editorial methodology

France key indicators

Mobilised hospitals

Detailed tracking

Legal and operational framework

Sources cited on this page