Six passengers from a cruise ship at the centre of an outbreak of the deadly hantavirus have departed the Netherlands and are bound for Perth. A flight organised by the Australian Government left on Thursday after the six passengers — four Australian citizens, a permanent resident and a New Zealander — were evacuated off the MV Hondius cruise ship. All tested negative to hantavirus prior to the flight.
'I can also indicate they are all symptom-free,' Health Minister Mark Butler told reporters on Thursday. 'So we're pretty confident they're getting onto the plane without the virus, certainly without symptoms. But they will be subject to testing when they arrive in Australia, and they will be in full PPE during the duration of the flight so there is no risk of transmission.' Medical personnel are travelling with the group, who are due to land in Perth on Friday.
Quarantine Arrangements
Health Minister Mark Butler on Monday confirmed the group will undergo a three-week quarantine at the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience. The quarantine facility, built at a cost of $400 million toward the end of the Covid pandemic and hardly used, is next door to the Pearce RAAF Base in Perth's outer northern suburbs. 'They will land at RAAF Base Pearce and those six people will be transferred immediately to that quarantine facility directly next door to the RAAF base,' Butler said.
Whether the patients will be quarantined after the three weeks end is unclear. 'This period of three weeks' quarantine will only cover part of the 42-day quarantine period, or potential incubation period, that is relevant to this particular virus,' Butler said. 'We'll be seeking further advice from the chief health officers about what arrangements should take place beyond that initial three weeks.'
Hantavirus Outbreak Details
A total of eight hantavirus patients on board the MV Hondius were reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the beginning of this month, prompting an emergency lockdown of the ship. Three passengers have since died from the virus. At the time of writing, the WHO confirmed 11 hantavirus cases worldwide.
Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn't easily transmitted between people. However, the strain detected on the ship may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure. No human cases have ever been recorded in Australia.
