Australia quarantines 6 cruise passengers over hantavirus risk

Australia has placed six passengers from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak into quarantine after they arrived on a repatriation flight from the Netherlands, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

Four Australians among the group

The group includes four Australian citizens, one permanent resident, and one New Zealander. All had tested negative and shown no symptoms before departure. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said they “remain in good health.” The group will undergo further testing, including additional PCR tests, and a three-week quarantine period. Butler said earlier that additional monitoring arrangements were being considered given hantavirus’s longer incubation period of about 42 days. “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,” he said.

Crew also in voluntary quarantine

The flight crew and a doctor on board are also expected to voluntarily quarantine at the facility for two weeks. Butler said everyone on board remained in full personal protective equipment throughout the flight. The aircraft used for the evacuation will be decontaminated. The WHO confirmed on May 4 that severe respiratory illness cases aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship were a hantavirus cluster. The outbreak involves the Andes strain, which can spread between humans. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the outbreak as a Level 3 emergency, its lowest activation level. According to WHO officials, 11 cases have been reported, including three deaths. Türkiye’s health authorities continue to monitor global infectious disease developments closely and have implemented enhanced screening protocols at ports of entry.