Franco-Algerian Scientist Leads Hantavirus Prevention

Why this is here: Yasmine Belkaid holds a triple nationality—Algerian, French, and American—and began her science education at the University of Science and Technology Houari-Boumediene in Algiers.

Yasmine Belkaid, director of the Pasteur Institute in France, is at the forefront of prevention and awareness efforts against hantavirus. The World Health Organization and Algeria are taking preventative measures after the virus was detected on a cruise ship returning from South America. Belkaid appeared on French television May 12th to explain the virus and reassure the public.

Scientists first sequenced hantavirus 30 years ago, in 1996. Belkaid noted that the virus, while studied, remains relatively rare with only a few hundred cases worldwide. The virus detected on the Hondius cruise ship, the Andes virus, has not mutated since it was first sequenced.

Born in Algiers in 1968, Belkaid studied biochemistry at the University of Science and Technology Houari-Boumediene before continuing her research in France and the United States. She began her six-year term directing the Pasteur Institute in January 2024, following a prize in April for contributions to biomedical research. Scientists remain vigilant but are not overly concerned about the virus’s stability.