Four Australian citizens and one permanent resident from the MV Hondius cruise ship, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, will be flown to Western Australia on Monday and placed in a three-week quarantine facility near Perth. The group will be accompanied by one New Zealand citizen who will also undergo quarantine in Australia.
Health Minister Mark Butler confirmed that the passengers will be taken to the Bullsbrook quarantine facility, located about 45km outside Perth next to the Pearce air force base. None of the passengers are currently showing symptoms of hantavirus, which is spread by rodents and can cause serious infections in humans.
Butler emphasised that hantavirus 'is not a virus with pandemic potential' but stated the government has a responsibility to bring the passengers home and protect them from any risk of transmission. The group, including residents of Queensland and New South Wales, will fly on a commercial jet from Tenerife in the Canary Islands and undergo regular testing by Melbourne's Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.
The operation is coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the federal health department, and the newly established Australian Centre for Disease Control, in consultation with states and the New Zealand government. The flight was expected to leave Tenerife at 5pm local time on Monday, with passengers accompanied by flight and medical crew in full personal protective equipment.
The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning after three people died of the virus and eight others became ill. Passengers and crew were confined to their cabins to help stop the spread. Butler said the initial three-week quarantine period could be extended, and further decisions will be made by federal authorities and state and territory chief health officers.
The plan replaces earlier moves to transport passengers to the NSW biocontainment centre in Sydney. Butler stated it was appropriate for the federal government to lead quarantine arrangements, and hantavirus will be legally designated as a human disease under the Biosecurity Act within 24 hours to facilitate the response.
