Health officials say new hantavirus patient in Spain may have been contagious for 10 days

Alyssa Mcmurtry

A Franco-Argentine tourist isolated in Spain after testing positive for the rare Andes hantavirus may have been contagious for up to 10 days while traveling through France last month, health officials said Friday.

France’s Health Ministry said the patient, who is isolated with family in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region, may have been contagious between July 18 and July 28.

Officials said the patient had a very low viral load when diagnosed, indicating “very limited” potential for transmission.

Spanish health authorities said Thursday that the patient sought medical care in France for flu-like symptoms before traveling to Galicia. After French officials confirmed the positive hantavirus test, they notified the patient and Spanish authorities.

The French Health Ministry said only close contacts are considered at risk, including people living in the same household, those who shared accommodation or had prolonged close contact during transportation, and healthcare workers who treated the patient without appropriate protective equipment.

French regional health authorities are continuing contact tracing to identify anyone who may have had high-risk exposure and have recommended that all close contacts isolate at home.

The case is unrelated to the Andes hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship earlier this year, French authorities said. That outbreak resulted in multiple severe infections and three deaths.

“The transmissions observed were associated with the most severely affected patients, in whom the viral load was higher. This episode also confirmed the low level of contagiousness of the Andes hantavirus outside of high-risk exposure situations, with no secondary cases identified among people considered low-risk contacts,” the French Health Ministry said, referring to the MV Hondius outbreak.

The Andes hantavirus is the only known hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission. Most hantavirus infections are transmitted by rodents, and there is currently no specific treatment or vaccine.