The Ministry of Health reported this Thursday the detection of an imported case of Andes strain hantavirus in a Franco-Argentine citizen who is currently in Galicia, after traveling through several European countries.
The positive case was confirmed from a sample taken a few days ago in France, where the patient sought medical services for a mild respiratory condition. French authorities have confirmed that it is a case of Andes hantavirus, the only known strain capable of human-to-human transmission.
According to Health, the patient developed only mild symptoms and, when he later traveled to Spain, he was already asymptomatic and no longer contagious. Currently, the patient is “well” and, by the instruction of the French health authorities, is isolated in his accommodation in Galicia while public health actions are completed.
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After learning of the case, the Ministry of Health contacted both the General Directorate of Public Health of Galicia and the French Government to coordinate the response. The Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) and the Galician Public Health services are carrying out the necessary investigations to determine the measures to be adopted and to safely manage the follow-up of the case and its possible contacts.
Health has emphasized that Spain has specific protocols and updated knowledge to respond to this type of situation, which will be adapted to the specific circumstances of the case. The CCAES is coordinating the sampling and isolation of the patient, and has specified that it has not been necessary to activate the High-Level Isolation Unit (UATAN), since the affected person does not present symptoms. Meanwhile, all the procedures planned to ensure safe management for the entire population continue to be activated.
