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Official WHO report as of May 13, 2026
According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization published on May 12, 11 case are listed in total, including 9 confirmed in the laboratory et 3 deathAll of them involve passengers or crew members of the MV Hondius cruise ship. The virus involved is the Andes virus, the only known strain of hantavirus to allow limited human-to-human transmission, through close and prolonged contact with a symptomatic person.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday: "At the moment, there are no signs indicating that we are witnessing the beginning of a wider epidemic." He did, however, specify that the situation could change, given the incubation period can last up to 42 daysNew cases therefore remain possible until mid-June 2026. The risk to the general population remains at low ; the risk to passengers and close contacts is described as moderate.
France: Passenger in critical condition on ECMO
This is the most worrying development of May 13th. The French national repatriated from the MV Hondius and hospitalized at theBichat Hospital Paris is suffering, according to Dr. Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist, from "the most severe form of cardiopulmonary presentation" of the Andes virus. She is placed under ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), an extracorporeal circulation technique that oxygenates the blood instead of the lungs and heart. The doctor is talking about "final stage of supportive care".
Four other French citizens repatriated from the ship, who tested negative, nevertheless remain hospitalized at Bichat in strict isolation. Authorities have identified 22 contact casesPrime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that eight people have been placed in enhanced isolation in hospitals after sharing a flight with an infected person. two daily interministerial meetings at Matignon. President Emmanuel Macron stated from Nairobi that the situation is " under control " and called for a strengthened European coordinationA decree dated May 11th outlines the health measures: mandatory hospital quarantine for all French passengers on the ship, for a maximum duration of 42 days.
United States: Nebraska and Atlanta
The 17 American citizens repatriated from Tenerife landed in Omaha, Nebraska, on the night of May 10-11. Among them, 16 are at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Fifteen are in the national quarantine unit and one in the biocontainment unit. The latter is Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, an oncologist who had treated sick passengers on board before testing positive himself. Asymptomatic, he spoke publicly from his unit, stating that he was in good mental health. Two other Americans were transferred to Atlanta for further evaluation.
Le Minnesota and the Kansas They are monitoring several people who had high-risk contact with passengers who tested positive.Illinois Investigation also into a case unrelated to MV Hondius: a resident suspected of having contracted a North American strain of hantavirus while cleaning a rodent-infested dwelling — recalling that the virus also circulates endemically in the United States, independently of this episode.
Netherlands: Protocol incident in Nijmegen
12 members of the healthcare staff Staff from the Radboudun University Medical Center in Nijmegen have been placed in preventive quarantine for 42 days. When treating a passenger from the MV Hondius admitted on May 7, the team applied a standard blood sampling procedure instead of the enhanced protocol required by the nature of the virus. The rules for urine disposal were also not followed. The risk of infection for these staff members is considered low, but the precaution is necessary. The MV Hondius, meanwhile, began its return journey to the Netherlands on Tuesday after its last passengers disembarked in Tenerife.
Italy, Spain, Switzerland and global tracing
International contact tracing continues in many countries. ItalieA British tourist who traveled on the same flight as the wife of patient zero (Saint Helena — Johannesburg) was located in Milan and placed in quarantine at Sacco Hospital. In Messina, an Argentinian tourist hospitalized with pneumonia is being tested for hantavirus. SpainA Spanish passenger on the ship tested positive on Tuesday. Switzerland was already treating a confirmed case since May 6. Cases have also been identified in South Africa and Saint HelenaIn total, confirmed or probable cases have been identified in at least six countries at this stage.
Argentina: Investigation into the origin
Argentina announced on Tuesday the dispatch of a team of scientific experts to investigate the precise origin of the outbreak. Patient zero was identified as the Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, died on board on April 11. He most likely contracted the virus while birdwatching in a landfill near Ushuaiain Patagonia, before boarding on April 1, 2026. His wife, also infected, died on April 25 in South Africa. A third German passenger died on board on May 2. The investigation aims in particular to determine when and how the virus then spread among passengers on board the ship.
Treatments: where does medicine stand?
To date there is no no approved antiviral treatment against the Andes virus. Ribavirin, tested during previous epidemics, showed results deemed insufficient. Management relies entirely on the support of vital functions Oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, and as a last resort ECMO for the most severe cardiopulmonary forms. The most promising avenue, according to INSERM and the National Reference Center for Hantaviruses, is...plasma immunotherapy Administration of plasma containing anti-Andes virus antibodies has been shown to significantly reduce mortality in previous studies. Several clinical trials are currently underway internationally.
