MEZIESBLOG

An update to bring you from the French health ministry now.

Eight French nationals who were not on the cruise have been identified as close contacts of a confirmed case after that person left the ship and flew from St Helena to Johannesburg on 25 April.

Tests have been issued and isolation measures are in place after one person reported mild symptoms.

As a precautionary measure, the ministry said the other individuals have been identified and contacted.

They have been offered temporary isolation measures and access to testing.

Health officials warned of hantavirus deaths in eight countries last year

While the sharp outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius has surprised many, a recent report from the World Health Organisation suggests the illness was more prevalent than you might think last year, too.

In a report published in December last year, the Americas branch of the health body said 229 confirmed cases and 59 deaths linked to hantavirus had been recorded in eight countries in 2025.

Here’s the list of countries affected:

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Bolivia
• Chile
• Panama
• Paraguay
• US
• Uruguay

Argentina continues to be the country that reports the highest number of cases, with 66 confirmed cases last year, the report said.

A total of 21 deaths were reported in the country, giving a fatality rate of 32% from the virus.

That figure was more than double the average of the previous four years, 15.4%, according to the report.

While only 20 confirmed cases were recorded in Brazil over the same period, the fatality rate stood at 55% (11 deaths).

Even in the US, seven confirmed cases and two deaths were recorded across five separate states last year.