The term “hantavirus” has just made a sensational entry into our daily lives. This category of virus, little known until now in France, is at the origin of an outbreak of infection unprecedented in its scale on the cruise ship MV Hondius, which infected eight passengers, causing three deaths, revealed the World Health Organization (WHO), Sunday May 3. The seriousness of the situation is causing a wave of panic which is reminiscent of the early days of Covid-19. “At this stage, the overall risk to public health remains low,” however, declared Wednesday Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, which centralizes the information.

From the nature of hantaviruses to the notions of “contact cases” or “fatality rate”, this new crisis is accompanied by a set of scientific and medical terms that are sometimes difficult to understand. Here is the Décoders glossary to help you find your way around.

Read also | LIVE, hantavirus on a cruise ship: the MV “Hondius” will dock at the port of Granadilla, in the Canaries, according to the Spanish Minister of Health

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Hantaviruses

This is a type of virus that can cause respiratory and cardiac distress as well as hemorrhagic fevers. They owe their name to the Hantaan River, located on the border between the two Koreas. During the Korean War (1950-1953), more than 3,000 soldiers became seriously ill after being infected with these viruses.

There are several types of hantavirus, which are distinguished by their geographical distribution and their clinical picture. Although rare cases of human-to-human transmission have been documented, they tend to be transmitted to humans via infected wild rodents such as mice or rats: “Human contamination generally occurs by inhalation of dust and aerosols, contaminated by the excreta of infected animals (urine, droppings, saliva), during activities in the forest or in premises close to the forest and uninhabited for a long time as well as during activities in rural areas where fields and farms provide a favorable habitat for reservoir rodents,” indicates the website of the National Public Health Agency.

In the absence of a vaccine or specific medications, the treatments offered consist only of relieving symptoms.

The Andes strain

This is the strain of hantavirus identified as responsible for the epidemic on the MV Hondius. It is among the approximately 140 types of hantaviruses (or taxa) currently identified, and is more precisely part of the so-called “New World” viruses (the Americas), especially associated with particularly dangerous respiratory syndromes. Circulating only in Argentina and Chile, Andes is the only hantavirus that can be transmitted between humans.

Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Hantavirus: many unknowns around an “unprecedented and worrying” health event; the WHO wants to reassure about the pandemic risk

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Human-to-human transmission

This refers to the transmission of a virus from human to human, as opposed to transmission from animal to human. In the case of hantaviruses, cases of human-to-human transmission, which can facilitate the spread of the virus, have been documented, mainly through the respiratory route via saliva droplets. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, “only one type of virus, extremely rare, can be transmitted from one human being to another”: the Andes strain, the one identified as responsible for the outbreak of infection on the cruise ship MV Hondius.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)

It is one of the most common life-threatening illnesses caused by hantavirus infections. It is mainly hantaviruses from the American continent that cause HPS, also called “hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndromes” (HCPS).

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According to Public Health France, the incubation varies from one to six weeks. HPS first manifests itself with muscle pain and fever, then by “severe and rapid lung damage with respiratory and cardiac distress and shock”. The case fatality rate is high, of the order of 30% to 60%, indicates the Pasteur Institute, which confirms that no specific treatment is available.

Renal syndrome hemorrhagic fever (RSHF)

It is one of the most common life-threatening illnesses caused by hantavirus infection. It is mainly hantaviruses from Europe and Asia that cause HPS.

According to Public Health France, incubation varies from one week to three months and FHST are of “variable severity”, ranging from a “flu syndrome” to “significant renal failure with a generally favorable outcome”. But they can still be fatal, “lethality varying from 0% to 10% depending on the virus”.

The fatality rate

This is the ratio between the number of fatal cases and the number of people infected with a virus. This indicator is more or less precise depending on the quality of screening. It may also vary depending on changes in the quality of care and treatments.

The lethality of hantavirus differs depending on the illnesses caused by its different variants. The lethality of respiratory syndromes is approximately 38% and that of renal syndromes varies from less than 1% to approximately 15% depending on the viruses involved, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Zoonoses

These are infectious diseases (nósos, in ancient Greek) that can pass from an animal (zôon) to humans. This is the case with hantaviruses. Some zoonoses “later mutate into strains present only in humans” (HIV, for example), others “can cause recurrent outbreaks, such as Ebola virus disease and salmonellosis”, still others, such as Covid-19, cause “global pandemics”, details the WHO.

Reservoir species

These are animal species in which a virus spreads and is maintained by passing from one individual to another. Rodents are the main reservoirs of hantaviruses.

Epidemics, endemics and pandemics

The term epidemic designates a sudden increase in cases of a disease in a territory and over a given period. We speak of an epidemic or seasonal illness when such a phenomenon returns each year due to favorable conditions, such as bronchiolitis or the flu in winter, in France.

An infection permanently present in a given territory is an endemic (like malaria in Central Africa), while an epidemic that affects the entire world is a pandemic (Covid-19).

At this point, hantavirus is not associated with any of these terms.

Incubation

This is the period between contamination of the body by a pathogen and the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease. This period can be particularly risky in the case of a virus that can be transmitted asymptomatically, as is the case for SARS-CoV-2. Indeed, the carrier can infect other people before even being aware of being infected.

Contact cases

These are individuals who have been in contact with a person infected with a virus without effective protection measures.

Concerning the MV Hondius, efforts are underway to search for possible contact cases, for example among travelers present on April 25 on board the flight between Saint Helena (British island in the South Atlantic) and Johannesburg (South Africa), taken by the 69-year-old Dutch woman who died the next day.

Aurélie Blondel, Iris Deroeux And Julien Lemaignen

The National Assembly again unanimously adopted on Wednesday May 6 the bill to facilitate the restitution of works of art looted during colonization, a final vote before the final adoption Thursday in the Senate of this highly anticipated text in Africa.

“The moment is historic,” declared the Minister of Culture, Catherine Pgard, recalling the long legislative journey of the text which concretizes a promise by Emmanuel Macron made to African youth during a speech in Ouagadougou in 2017. The unanimity of the 141 deputies was “essential, so that it is indeed the united voice of France which addresses the world,” she greeted.

Because more than a legislative tool facilitating the removal of French collections of illicitly acquired goods when they are claimed by their country or people of origin, this text is intended as “an outstretched hand” towards formerly colonized countries. With the stated objective of promoting “the renewal of relations”, at a time when France has largely lost its influence on the continent, particularly in the Sahel, and where Emmanuel Macron is undertaking a new African tour from Saturday.

The text adopted Wednesday by the Assembly was the subject of an agreement between deputies and senators. It plans to allow the government to return works, by decree, without having to resort to specific laws piecemeal, a procedure that has until now been very slow and restricted by the parliamentary calendar.

Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Restitution of cultural property looted during colonization: the National Assembly adopts an amended version of the bill

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“A simple posture or imposture”

This framework law provides for several criteria, in particular to ensure the illicit nature or not of the appropriation, and the obligatory consultation of two commissions, one scientific, the other where Parliament will be represented, for opinion. The text only covers property acquired between 1815 and 1972, including the second French colonial empire and the entry into force of a UNESCO convention.

The National Rally welcomed the fact that these time limits had not been widened, as the left argued. The far-right group, however, regrets the absence of conditions linking these restitutions to guarantees of “good conservation”, according to its deputy Florence Joubert. For the minister, this provision added by the deputies at first reading but removed from the version adopted during the agreement with the Senate would have undermined the sovereignty of the States and weakened its symbolic and political significance.

Environmentalists welcomed a text “which allows us to look” colonial history “in the face” and the integration of a new objective into the missions of French museums, that of researching the provenance of their goods. Because to be able to claim, it is still necessary to know what was taken illicitly, pleaded the left group, demanding means for this mission, without which this law would be “a simple posture or an imposture”, according to Jean-Claude Raux.

Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The framework law on the restitution of objects looted during colonization is finally in progress

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This is an essay which risks displeasing those who love to oppose old and young, boomers and generations counter-arguments with scientific rigor, in his new work, Economy of the Ages of Life (Odile Jacob, 318 pages, 23.90 euros).

First demonstration: it wasn’t better before. The researcher worked with his team on original accounting, which defines and quantifies “all the transfers which underlie the links between generations”, whether they come from the State, the family or the market – whereas the figures usually cited in the public debate only concern public transfers. And the conclusion is therefore that, no, “it was not better before”.

Each generation, Hippolyte d’Albis demonstrates, has seen its standard of living improve compared to the previous one: on the other hand, this increase in the standard of living has declined over the past fifteen years, accompanying the slowing trend in economic growth. Just as each generation – at least in France, for the moment – ​​lives longer and in better health than the previous one.

Expand the circle of workers

Second demonstration: it is absurd to count public transfers such as retirement pensions that the elderly receive, without weighing up what they in turn pass on to their offspring. “When we see the extreme attention that parents pay to their children, to their studies, to their happiness, the accusation of selfishness towards future generations is pure slander,” the author annoys. To this must be added, he recalls, what the State devotes to public policies in favor of young people.

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Warning, the following paragraphs contain spoilers for the episode of Here it all begins broadcast tomorrow evening on TF1! If you prefer not to know anything, move on.

Thursday May 7 in Here it all begins…

Clotilde tries to help Hector

At the Institute, Hector confirms to Jeanne and Anouk that he intends to give up everything because of his mother. While they find this a shame and encourage him to renew dialogue with Andréa, Hector explains that he needs to rebuild himself away from the latter.

He therefore goes to Teyssier’s office to tell him that he is resigning. He intends to leave the region and work as a chef in Nice. The director of the Institute tries to detain him, in vain.

Witnessing their conversation, Clotilde catches up with Hector outside to encourage him to remain a teacher instead of working in the kitchen of a restaurant again. She suggests that he support his candidacy with chef Besseau, who is just in the process of setting up her cooking school. Hector accepts.

At the Workshop, left without a response from Hector to his messages, Anouk is in low spirits. She decides to cancel her training with Wolf and Bianca at the last moment. The latter then suggests to her pair to work only in pairs. Seeing her yawn, he suspects her of being tired from her evening the night before and confronts her about what he saw when she was getting into a man’s car. Immediately, Bianca turns away and leaves the area.

Meanwhile, at the Jourdain hotel, Léonard and Ismaël go to see Andréa to spend some time with her. Indeed, even if he does not condone what she did, her grandson agrees to forgive her so as not to have regrets. He then gives her a brand new chess set. Andréa is deeply touched. Leonard and Ismaël stay to play with her.

At the Institute, Clotilde welcomes chef Besseau, who tells her about her project to set up a school specializing in French cuisine in New York. She declares, however, that she is not at all enthusiastic about Hector’s profile, about whom she has a lot of prejudices, particularly in relation to his handicap. Clotilde defends him by praising his merits as a teacher. Chef Besseau, who will be a judge in the Competition for the Best Cooking School in France, agrees to see him at work during this competition to see if he has the makings of what she is looking for. Clotilde then makes him believe that it is indeed Hector who will represent the Institute during this event…

Milan discovers its reputation

At the Commissary, Bakary overhears a conversation between Fleur and Joséphine about a big birthday party for one of their classmates. They obviously agree that he should become involved. On the other hand, when he offers to bring Milan back, the girls are more reluctant. In fact, they find him a little too old in his head.

Later, Bakary accompanies Milan to the park. The latter brings verbena to chef Guinot and informs her that he is still up for their belote evening. He asks his friend to join them. Bakary declines, claiming to have already had an evening with Stanislas.

Shortly after, Milan overhears a conversation between Bakary and Fleur and ends up discovering the pot-aux-roses. Bakary admits to him that the students find him too close to the teachers at the Institute. Annoyed, Milan retorts that he doesn’t want to come to the birthday party.

Meanwhile, Joséphine meets Loup at the Workshop. She tells him that she is going to the party and that she is not at all worried about her sobriety. The young man, for his part, has no intention of going to the party. He is also preparing to give her free reign, but the young girl admits that she feels capable of cooking with him. She adds that she misses their moments with friends. Wolf therefore accepts his proposal.

For his part, Milan tries to motivate Enzo and Anaïs for the big evening. But neither of them wants to go. Milan actually finds them much too cushy. He calls Bakary back to tell him that he finally wants to come with him.

Coline discovers Caesar’s secrets

If Gaspard advises Coline to continue to be wary of Clémence, Angèle is convinced that there is no reason to worry, given how César is crazy about his daughter.

After class, César suggests that Coline schedule a cooking session the next day. When she suggests doing it between noon and two, the young man replies that he has boxing lessons. Coline responds by saying that she would really like to do some with him. But he suddenly appears reluctant and evasive.

At the end of the day, Coline goes to Comptoir de Jude with Carla. She tells him about what happened with Caesar. Overhearing their conversation, Zoé intervenes to reveal to Coline that César does not have boxing lessons since he has reserved a table for him and his parents the next day at lunchtime. Coline then fears that her boyfriend will not go out with her in front of her family.

The relief of seeing the hearing held quickly gave way to anger. This Tuesday, May 5, 2026, after more than five hours of hearing behind closed doors, the prosecution requested an 18-month suspended prison sentence against Nicolas G., 47, prosecuted for sexual harassment and sexual assault on nine CM2 girls from the Titon school (11th arrondissement of Paris). A decision which had the effect of a cold shower for some parents.

In a press release published the day after the hearing, the SOS Périscolaire collective protested. “Requesting 18 months of reprieve gives an extremely weak signal as to the seriousness of the facts,” write the parent members of the collective. “What message do we want to send? We might as well tell the children that what happened to them is not so serious, and invite others to do it again,” we can read.

“Pleading the clumsiness of words is one more perversion”

For these families, the facts – stories of rape told to 10-year-old children, hypersexualized drawings, psychological control, sexual assault on three little girls – “are absolutely not in a gray zone, but in the black zone of child crime”. They also denounce the line of defense of the host, who persisted in mentioning “clumsy remarks”: “to plead the clumsiness of words is one more perversion”, they decide.

The parents are now pinning their hopes on the judges, who will make their decision on June 16 and call on the prosecution to “take up an appeal” within ten days. “The collegiate jurisdiction can of course increase the quantum: we hope to obtain from the judges a sentence which will go well beyond these requisitions. The children deserve it,” continue the parents, for whom “it is important (…) to bang our fist on the table, for all the matters that will follow,” citing in particular the trial of a leader from the Baudin school in a few weeks.

Another press release to salute the courage of the students

In another press release, several parents of students at the Titon school saluted the courage of their daughters, who had found “the strength to denounce this man despite the attachment they had to him”, and paid tribute to the “chain of trust” – school principal, families, police services – which had allowed the case to end up in court.

A text which also calls on institutions to “fully assume their share of responsibility”, targeting in particular the City of Paris, which has become a civil party while having, according to them, “contributed to producing victims” via a failing system.

The cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which an outbreak of hantavirus broke out, should dock at the port of Granadilla, in the south of the island of Tenerife, on the Canary archipelago, “within three days”, announced, Wednesday May 6, the Spanish Minister of Health, Monica Garcia Gomez, during a press conference. Docking is expected for Saturday May 9, according to a request made by the shipping company Oceanwide Expeditions to regional port authorities.

The port of Granadilla was chosen because it is relatively isolated, while being located in the immediate vicinity of Tenerife South airport, explained the minister. The stated objective is to avoid any contact between the ship’s passengers and the local population. “A joint health assessment and evacuation system will be put in place with the World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control,” said Ms. Garcia Gomez.

All foreign passengers will be repatriated thanks to the European civil protection mechanism coordinated by the European Commission – already activated – “unless their state of health prevents it”, affirmed the minister, assuring that the system would offer “all the necessary guarantees”. “Spain has all the capacities to care for those affected and protect public health,” she added.

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The General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP) assured Wednesday May 6 that the fuel allowance of 50 euros intended for low-income, heavy-duty workers, to cope with the surge in oil prices, would be implemented via a secure form and with controls to avoid fraud. This device was announced on April 22 by the Prime Minister and officially confirmed by a decree published on Saturday in the Official Journal. The government announced on Sunday that the platform to obtain this compensation would open on May 27.

“We know how we are going to control,” declared the general director of public finances, Amélie Verdier, during a press briefing presenting the 2025 report of the DGFiP. “A collaboration with the insurers” will be put in place to “verify that the person declaring is doing so from a vehicle that we know to be insured by him”, and “we verify that there is only one vehicle”, she detailed.

This will ensure “that we do not have people trying to circumvent the rules”, because “we know that each time there is a new counter, there is a new ecosystem of fraud that is organized”, she added. Furthermore, this form will be set up “under conditions of protection of personal data”. He promises “a more secure system than in 2023” since “the cyber threat is more intense”.

The Ministry of the Economy announced that a form would be available on the personal space of the impots.gouv.fr website for a period of two months in order to take advantage of this system. To do this, you will need to provide your marital status, your tax number, the registration number of the vehicle used and the registration number. The applicant must also certify that he meets the conditions for using the vehicle in terms of distances traveled.

This compensation is intended for workers whose reference tax income per share is less than or equal to 16,880 euros, and who travel “more than 15 kilometers per journey and per day between their home and their place of work or more than 8,000 kilometers per year as part of their professional activity” (this condition including home-work journeys), the government specified on Saturday in its decree. Nearly 3 million people will be able to benefit from it, according to the government.

1:45 p.m. 9.19% 99.77% للبرميل.

فيما تراجعت العقود الآجلة للخام الأمريكي “غرب تكساس الوسيط” The price is 10.76% and 91.27%.

وقبل ذلك أفاد موقع “أكسيوس” بأن الولايات المتحدة وإيران على وشك توقيع مذكرة من صفحة واحدة لإنهاء الصراع، وهو ما أكده مصدر ​باكستاني مشارك ‌في جهود السلام لوكالة “رويترز”.

ويوم أمس صرح الرئيس الأمريكي دونالد ترامب بأنه سيوقف مؤقتا عملية مرافقة السفن عبر مضيق هرمز، مشيرا إلى التقدم ​المحرز نحو التوصل إلى اتفاق شامل مع إيران.

المصدر: RT

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