French health authorities have confirmed that a person evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship has been infected with hantavirus, French health minister Stephanie Rist said on France Inter radio.

The hantavirus test result was positive, Rist said, referring to a woman who had previously shown symptoms of the illness caused by the hantavirus. The French health minister confirmed that the woman was on the aforesaid cruise ship with several other French people. She said that the passenger's condition deteriorated overnight after returning to France by plane on Sunday.

The patient is being treated at a specialized infectious diseases hospital, where a number of protective measures have been taken in the wards. These are being used to prevent the spread of the virus, Rist said. She added that French authorities have identified 22 people who had contact with those infected with hantavirus.