IN BRIEF
- Four Australian citizens, one permanent resident and one New Zealander from MV Hondius have landed in Perth.
- The group will be in quarantine for at least three weeks.
Passengers from a cruise ship hit by the rare and deadly hantavirus have arrived in Australia, preparing for a three-week quarantine period.
Six individuals, including four Australian citizens, one permanent resident, and a New Zealander, were flown from the MV Hondius cruise ship. They landed at the Pearce RAAF Base near Perth around 1 PM AEST on Friday.
This group will undergo quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience, located next to the base, for a minimum of three weeks.
Health Minister Mark Butler confirmed that as of Thursday, all passengers were in good health and exhibited no symptoms of the virus.
Among the group, three passengers are from New South Wales, while the remaining two reside in Queensland.
It’s unclear when they will be cleared to return home, as their quarantine could be extended pending advice from chief health officers.
University of the Sunshine Coast associate professor Erin Price said the biggest risk to Australians is not posed by this cohort, but by those who had been exposed to the hantavirus and failed to undergo quarantine.
“The concern is really for people travelling,” Price told the Australian Associated Press.
“Some of the passengers who were on this cruise ship disembarked before the outbreak was identified and have moved quite a bit around the world.
“That is a real worry.”
The MV Hondius ship docked in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday after three people died and others were confirmed to have tested positive for the virus, which is primarily contracted through contact with infected rodents.
What are the symptoms of hantavirus, and how can the risk be reduced?
The Andes strain of hantavirus, which caused the cruise ship outbreak, can be transmitted from person to person through bodily fluids, including saliva, blood, and urine.
People have been urged to wear a P2 respirator — also known as an N95 respirator — in public spaces such as aeroplanes to prevent them from inhaling virus particles.
Blue surgical masks will not stop any viruses, Price said, as she stressed the importance of respirators.
The virus is also susceptible to alcohol-based hand sanitisers, so Price has recommended regular handwashing with soap, wiping down surfaces and other regular hygiene practices like washing clothes and having a shower after a flight.
Symptoms can occur one to eight weeks after exposure and the window of infection is believed to be four days, including two days during which those infected can be asymptomatic, Price said.
Hantavirus is not as infectious as COVID-19, but its long incubation period could still pose issues, fuelling calls for clear, consistent and science-based messaging from governments to mitigate risks.
Early symptoms are flu-like and include fevers, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, chills or dizziness.
Some from the cruise have also experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
If the virus becomes severe, those infected can become short of breath as their lungs fill up with fluid, leading to reduced oxygen levels, low blood pressure, heart issues and sometimes death.
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