Six individuals who had been on a cruise vessel connected to a hantavirus outbreak have been placed in quarantine after landing in Australia on a repatriation flight from the Netherlands, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday.
The passengers consist of four Australian nationals, one Australian permanent resident, and one citizen of New Zealand. Authorities confirmed that all of them had returned negative test results and were asymptomatic prior to their departure.
Australian Federal Health Minister Mark Butler stated that the group “remain in good health.”
Further medical monitoring has been arranged, with the individuals set to undergo additional PCR testing alongside a mandatory three-week quarantine period. Officials are also reviewing enhanced surveillance measures due to the virus’s relatively long incubation period, which can extend to around 42 days.
Butler emphasized that health protocols are being guided by international standards, stating, “We’re not going to let anything happen that doesn’t align with World Health Organization (WHO) advice about the incubation period for this virus.”
In addition, flight crew members and an accompanying doctor are expected to voluntarily isolate at the facility for two weeks. Authorities confirmed that all personnel on board the evacuation flight remained in full personal protective equipment throughout the journey, and the aircraft will undergo full decontamination.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on May 4 that cases of severe respiratory illness detected aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship were linked to a hantavirus cluster.
Hantavirus, while rare, is typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, though the strain involved in the current outbreak has also demonstrated potential human-to-human transmission.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the situation as a Level 3 emergency response, which represents its lowest tier of emergency activation.
According to WHO officials, the outbreak—linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus—has so far resulted in 11 confirmed infections and three fatalities.
