The head of the World Health Organization today warned that more cases of Hantavirus are likely to emerge as more passengers aboardthe MV Hondiustestpositive for the virus.WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he expects more cases “because of the long incubation period”.
"The incubation for hantavirus or Andes virus ranges from six to eight weeks. So we expect more cases to come actually, but I hope they will be as small as possible," Dr Ghebreyesus told CNN at the Grenadilla port in Tenerife. He added: “We already have one confirmed, you know, the passenger from France, and I expect actually more because of the long incubation period”, he said, referring to a woman who tested positive for the virus after arriving in France. The French woman was one of the five French nationals who disembarked from the cruise ship in Tenerife on Sunday.
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She said that her "condition has unfortunately deteriorated" in the night after she was placed in isolation at Hôpital Bichat inParis.
The French health minister, Stéphanie Rist, said on Monday on France Inter that the woman was in a serious condition. The Who Chief urged people to remain calm, reiterating that the outbreak was “not anotherCovid.”
This comes after one of the 14 Spaniards who traveled on MV Hondius remains in hospital after testing positive for the virus.
The Ministry of Health said the result is provisional, as two samples are taken and the second provides the definitive confirmation of whether the virus is present.
He is asymptomatic and in good general health, with final results known in the coming hours, the ministry adds.
The other 13 cases have also returned provisional negative results.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
