Hantavirus Cruise Ship Passenger
French Woman In Critical Condition
… Breathing With Artificial Lung
Published
The dreaded hantavirus has nearly claimed another life … as a French woman is struggling, breathing through an artificial lung amid the MV Hondius cruise outbreak.
According to her doctor, the unidentified woman is currently in critical condition in a Paris hospital after contracting the disease aboard the cruise ship during a 34-day expedition through the Atlantic, with several stops along the way.
Authorities said three people have died, with eight other reported cases as a result of the outbreak on the ship, which launched April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina. So far, authorities have confirmed nine of the hantavirus cases.
Dr. Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist, says the French passenger suffers from severe life-threatening lung and heart issues and is currently on a life-support machine.
Lescure says the machine pumps blood into an artificial lung, producing oxygen that flows through the body to relieve pressure on the lungs and heart. The doctor says this will hopefully provide the woman time to recover, but he warns this is “the final stage of supportive care.”
The deadly virus may continue to spread … nearly two dozen passengers reportedly wandered across the globe before health officials tracked them down after the deaths. At least two Americans who were on the ship have been quarantined.
Hantavirus is caused by contact with infected mouse or rat feces and urine. The WHO confirmed last week the outbreak onboard the Hondius involves the Andes virus strain — the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person through close and prolonged contact involving bodily fluids.