May 13th, 2026 - French Hantavirus Patient Critically Ill as Cruise Ship Outbreak Rises to 11 Cases

A French woman who had traveled on the MV Hondius cruise ship was in critical condition on Wednesday after testing positive for hantavirus. Health officials said the total number of identified cases linked to the outbreak has risen to 11, including three people who died.

Authorities around the world are monitoring passengers, crew members, and close contacts for symptoms because the virus can have an incubation period of up to six weeks. Officials said the woman in France had no symptoms when she left the ship but later became severely ill and required intensive treatment.

The outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only type known to spread between people. It usually requires prolonged close contact and can begin with flu like symptoms before progressing to serious breathing problems or heart and lung failure.

The MV Hondius had been on an Atlantic cruise after leaving Argentina when the outbreak began. Passengers have since been evacuated to their home countries for quarantine and monitoring, while health agencies continue to prepare for possible additional cases.

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster) - Rectify (verb, REK-tuh-fye) - Rectify is a formal word meaning “to correct (something that is wrong).”

Example: We were given the wrong room key, but the hotel management quickly rectified the situation.

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