France -
Translation Google
"We are taking the strictest measures in the European area": Health Minister Stéphanie Rist responds to concerns about hantavirus
Published10/05/2026 21:07
Updated10/05/2026 23:48
(video in French)
Five French crew members from the MV Hondius have been placed in isolation in a Parisian hospital amid growing concerns about hantavirus infections. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist answered questions from Laurent Delahousse on Sunday, May 10.
This text is part of the transcript of the interview above. Click on the video to watch it in its entirety.
Laurent Delahousse: Good evening, Madam Minister, thank you for being with us.
First, can you confirm that one of the five French nationals who returned to our territory presented symptoms upon repatriation?
Stéphanie Rist: Good evening, Laurent Delahousse.
Yes, I am here as Minister of Health to inform the French people. Indeed, one of our five compatriots has had symptoms that could potentially resemble those of the hantavirus, which, I remind you, is a known virus that has already caused epidemics in Argentina.
We will have to wait 24 hours for the test results of this patient to know whether it is this virus or not.
Laurent Delahousse: That would confirm that the incubation period is sometimes very long.
Stéphanie Rist:
So, the incubation period is six weeks. It's often within the first 15 days, but it can last up to six weeks. That's why we will be implementing isolation measures that will last for those six weeks.
Laurent Delahousse: A few hours ago, the government issued a decree implementing isolation measures for contact cases. This concerns this first group. First, these five individuals will be isolated and will have to remain in the hospital, even though they were scheduled to return home.
Stéphanie Rist: So these five cases are considered high-risk because they are people who spent time on this ship where there was transmission of the virus. We are taking very strict measures with the Prime Minister, the strictest in the European area, to protect the French people, considering that, because
it is at the very beginning of the epidemic that the battle is won, it is essential to break the chains of transmission of the virus. This isolation, in the first few days, will take place in the hospital to undergo the necessary battery of examinations: tests, genetic tests, PCR tests, to obtain the results. And we will see in the coming days the details of the isolation,
which will last 42 days.
Laurent Delahousse: So, that's the situation for those citizens who have returned and are in the hospital.
There were also eight French citizens on the plane that transported one of the first victims of this hantavirus. First, were these eight people identified? Are they being monitored? Have they been tested?
Stéphanie Rist: You know, we're really very focused and working hard.
These people have been identified, they've been tested. Currently, they're testing negative and, most importantly, they're in isolation. It's very important, I repeat, it's really at the beginning that we need to act, and that's why I'm here tonight. It's a virus we know, one that has already caused epidemics. We already have scientific studies, even if we obviously don't know everything.
Laurent Delahousse: Does that mean it's not comparable to the coronavirus? Because I imagine some people are wondering this tonight. We went through something quite terrible six years ago. Is that completely unrelated?
Stéphanie Rist: I understand the concerns. This is a virus we know. In the 1990s, this Andean strain was discovered. In the 1970s, all hantaviruses were identified. So, these are viruses we know, that scientists know, and we are working with them to put the best measures in place. The necessary measures, which we are taking with the Prime Minister, involve isolating people to prevent transmission.
Laurent Delahousse: How is this virus transmitted?
Stéphanie Rist:
In this Andean strain affecting the ship's patients, this particular strain can be transmitted via aerosol. In the study concerning the 2018 epidemic in Argentina, published in a very reputable journal, the New England Journal of Medicine , it was shown that close contact is necessary, likely through airborne transmission.
Laurent Delahousse: A virus knows no borders; we've had a sad experience with that. You just said we were the strictest in Europe, but this virus will circulate, it can circulate. Are you worried about other measures, or perhaps less significant ones, taken by other countries?
Stéphanie Rist: You know, I'm focused, and I'm also a scientist, a doctor, a scientist. So I believe we need to adapt based on what we know as it evolves. We also need to be able to lead by example sometimes. And
we believe that since the incubation period is quite long, lasting six weeks, we must break this chain of transmission right from the start. And that's what we're putting in place.
Laurent Delahousse: We are not in a pandemic. But if, by chance, we were to face a pandemic one day, is France ready today? Does it have, for example, all the masks it would need?
Stéphanie Rist: Well, we're not there yet, as you rightly pointed out, but indeed, we have checked. We have the necessary stocks of masks and tests, since the tests, which are PCR tests that we know how to do well, and which are carried out at the Pasteur Institute, are also available.
Laurent Delahousse: One last question, there is no vaccine?
Stéphanie Rist: There is no vaccine to date, although research is being done on vaccines since, as I said, it is a known virus.
https://www.franceinfo.fr/faits-div...aux-inquietudes-sur-l-hantavirus_7995803.html
