French hantavirus patient who was on MV Hondius cruise ship is critically ill and on an artificial lung

She is currently being treated in intensive care at France’s Bichat Hospital and is battling a life-threatening case of the rare disease, Dr. Xavier Lescure told local media from the French Health Ministry.

“The patient now has the most severe form of cardiopulmonary presentation,” Lescure told the press conference.

“She is on an artificial lung and a blood bypass so that, hopefully, she can get through this phase.”

The hope is that the device will relieve enough pressure on the lungs and heart so that they have some time to recover.

Lescure called it “the final phase of supportive care.”

She is over 65 and has pre-existing conditions, he said

Now that the evacuation of all passengers and many crew members has been completed, the MV Hondius is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will be cleaned and disinfected.

Despite the increase in the number of hantavirus cases, the risk of a broader outbreak remains low, according to the WHO.

“At the moment there are no signs that we are seeing the beginning of a larger outbreak,” said Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“But the situation can of course change, and given the long incubation period of the virus it is possible that we will see more cases in the coming weeks.”

The latest person confirmed to be infected is a Spanish passenger who tested positive after being evacuated from the ship, the Spanish Health Ministry said.

The passenger was in quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid.

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for hantavirus.

The mortality rate for the disease varies by type but can be as high as 50 percent, although early detection and treatment improve survival rates.

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