FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

The MV Hondius cruise ship, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions and departing Ushuaia on April 19, became the scene of an unprecedented health crisis. Three passengers died — including a Dutch couple from Friesland — and a British tourist is in intensive care in Johannesburg. The WHO confirmed one case of hantavirus and speaks of a 'low risk' to the public, emphasizing that the virus does not easily transmit person-to-person. Le Monde traces how the dream cruise 'turned into a health nightmare': the virus, transmitted through rodent excretions, may have been contracted during shore excursions in Patagonia or the sub-Antarctic islands. No human-to-human transmission has been documented at this stage.