Two vials containing the deadly hantavirus were among more than 300 vials of viruses that vanished from an Australian laboratory in 2024. Alongside these, nearly 100 vials containing the Hendra virus, which is transmitted from horses to humans, also went missing, along with 223 vials containing lyssavirus, the rabies virus.
At the time, the most likely explanation for the disappearance was believed to be the misplacement of containers during a transfer to a new freezer. The Ministry of Health subsequently launched a full investigation into the incident.
This information has resurfaced following a deadly outbreak of the virus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. Three people have so far lost their lives linked to the outbreak on the vessel: a 70-year-old Dutch man, his 69-year-old wife, and a German woman.
British ex-policeman Martin Anstee, 56, along with two other cruise passengers, have been transported to the Netherlands for specialist treatment, while another patient is currently receiving care in Zurich, Switzerland.
The Andes strain has been identified in positive samples taken from the MV Hondius, and remains the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a statement following growing fears that a fresh pandemic could emerge after passengers disembarked from the ship. A WHO spokesperson said: “This is not Coronavirus. This is a very different virus; we know this virus...this is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak we see on a ship, this is a confined area. It doesn’t spread the same way, it’s very different.”
Most hantavirus strains cannot be transmitted between humans whatsoever. The WHO stated that preventative measures are being implemented to halt any further spread, with considerable efforts currently under way to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
