The final group of six individuals repatriated from the MV Hondius has made their journey back home. This group comprises four Australian citizens, a permanent resident, and a New Zealander.
Their flight departed from the Netherlands and is expected to touch down at an RAAF base in Perth around 1 p.m. AEST, or 11 a.m. AWST.
Upon arrival, these individuals have been relocated to the Centre for National Resilience in Bullsbrook, located in northern Perth. Here, they will spend three weeks in quarantine as a precautionary measure.
During their stay, they will undergo comprehensive medical examinations, including blood tests. These samples will be sent to Melbourne for processing, with results anticipated within a day.
It is expected their results will be returned in a day.
All passengers tested negative for Hantavirus when they left the Netherlands and are in good health.
Of the five passengers who live in Australia, three are residents of NSW, and two of Queensland.
So far, there have been 11 confirmed cases of hantavirus among the passengers or crew members on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Three people have died after contracting the deadly, rat-borne illness.
It was the first-ever case of a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.
Health Minister Mark Butler previously said the government was taking a precautionary approach, emphasising that human-to-human transmission of the virus was extremely rare.
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