Hantavirus detected in France tourist now isolated in Spain

PARIS – A case of hantavirus, which recently sparked international alarm, has been detected in a Franco-Argentinian national who holidayed in France in July before being put in isolation in Spain, the French health ministry said on Aug 6.The patient had few symptoms and now has none, the ministry said, adding that “all measures” have been put in place to “trace the stages” of the person’s journey.The ministry said experts were to meet on Aug 6 to determine the next action to be taken and that Europe-wide coordination was being established.The patient’s infection with the Andes strain of the virus, the only one transmissible between humans, was confirmed on Aug 6.The authorities have not indicated a link to a deadly outbreak of Andes strain hantavirus on a cruise ship earlier in 2026 that t