ECDC Issues Clearance Protocols for Recovering Hantavirus Patients

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has released a new technical framework establishing strict criteria for removing recovered individuals from infectious isolation. This update comes as clinical teams in France and the Netherlands report that hospitalized patients from the MV Hondius cluster, including one previously under critical care on advanced respiratory support in Paris, are beginning to show sustained signs of pulmonary stabilization and clinical improvement. The new directives mandate that before any confirmed Andes virus patient can be officially discharged or cleared from isolation, they must return two consecutive negative blood and respiratory RT-PCR tests sampled 48 hours apart. Official international epidemiological metrics remain unchanged tonight, with the global tally holding at 11 cases and 3 deaths. Health organizations reiterate that because the virus does not shed easily into the community without direct, long-term contact, these discharge protocols are designed as a maximum biosafety precaution to guarantee zero residual risk.