France’s Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on Tuesday that authorities cannot yet say with certainty whether the hantavirus strain linked to cases aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has mutated.
“There are things we still do not know about this virus,” Rist told the French National Assembly, adding that officials had not yet received the full sequencing needed to determine whether the virus had changed.
“We do not yet have the full sequencing of the virus, which would allow us to say with certainty today, even if we are rather reassured so far, that the virus has not yet mutated,” she said.
France’s Health Ministry has not so far responded to a Reuters request for further comment.
The World Health Organization has said there is no evidence that anything unusual is happening with the hantavirus strain detected on the vessel, beyond the location of the cases.
The outbreak has been linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus, with officials seeking advice from Argentina, where an outbreak involving the same strain ended in 2019.
The WHO has confirmed nine cases and has called for suspected cases to be isolated. It said more cases are expected, given interactions among passengers before the virus was identified, but stressed that there is no indication of a broader outbreak.
Source: protothema.gr
