A French citizen was identified as a contact case after being on board the same flight as the Dutch woman infected with hantavirus. The French government spokeswoman guarantees that she is closely monitoring the situation.
According to French television which cites the French Ministry of Health, the man was identified among the passengers on the flight and became a contact case.
French government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon did not provide further information, only ensuring that “the government, and specifically the Minister of Health” are monitor the situation carefully.
The 69-year-old Dutch woman, whose 70-year-old husband died on board the ship, landed in Saint Helena on April 24 “with gastrointestinal symptoms” and boarded a flight the next day to Johannesburg, South Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.
The woman died in a hospital on April 26, and her infection with was confirmed on Monday.
On Tuesday, the WHO stated that it is a flight operated by the South African airline Airlink on April 25, with 82 passengers and six crew on board, Karin Murray, director of sales and marketing at Airlink, told France-Presse (AFP).
The WHO, through its acting director of the Department of Prevention and Preparedness, Maria Van Kerkhove, indicated that it suspected “person-to-person transmission between individuals in very close contact.”
South African authorities have requested that the airline inform affected passengers so that they can contact the Ministry of Health if they have not already been contacted, Murray added.
