Pandemic Watch
Hantavirus in France FR
France documents Puumala virus cases primarily in the northeast — Ardennes, Franche-Comté, Lorraine — with smaller numbers elsewhere. Annual case counts vary widely between years driven by bank vole population dynamics.
Circulating strains
Hantavirus strains documented in France. HPS = Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (Americas, predominantly fatal lung involvement). HFRS = Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (Eurasia, kidney involvement).
-
- Rodent reservoir
- Bank vole (Myodes glareolus)
- Case-fatality rate
- <1%
- Person-to-person spread
- Not documented
Causes 'nephropathia epidemica', the mildest form of HFRS. Highest case volume of any European hantavirus; Finland reports more than a thousand cases in typical years.
Past outbreaks involving France
- Hantavirus outbreak linked to cruise ship travel, Multi-locations 2026-07-02 3 deaths
- 2000 - Ebola haemorrhagic fever - Update 8 2021-06-07 60 deaths
- Plague in Algeria 2021-06-07 archived
- Plague in Algeria - Update 2021-06-07 archived
- Novel coronavirus infection - update 2013-05-18 20 deaths
See the complete hantavirus outbreak history for France — year-grouped, with case counts and per-bulletin briefings.
