Health Minister Mark Butler has moved to allay fears over a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship off the coast of Spain, stating the virus does not have “pandemic potential” as a group of passengers prepares to return to Australia.
Six passengers from the MV Hondius, which is currently anchored near Spain’s Canary Islands, are expected to arrive in Australia on Tuesday. The group includes three people from New South Wales, two from Queensland, and one New Zealander.
Upon landing at RAAF Base Pearce north of Perth, they will be transferred to a dedicated quarantine facility in Bullsbrook, a facility established during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The MV Hondius has been at the centre of a health scare after three passengers died from hantavirus last month, with eight additional cases reported. Despite the fatalities, Mr Butler emphasised that human-to-human transmission of the virus is very difficult.
“It is not a virus with pandemic potential, and transmission is very difficult, human to human. But that does not mean that there is not a risk of transmission,” Mr Butler said during a press conference in Canberra on Monday.
“Transmission of this virus can have very, very serious, including deadly consequences.”
The Health Minister confirmed that the group travelling to Perth is currently not showing any symptoms, but they will undergo regular testing throughout the 42-day incubation period of the virus. After completing the three-week quarantine period in Western Australia, health authorities will assess the next steps.
“We want to do everything possible to make sure this is as comfortable a trip and quarantine period as is possible,” Mr Butler added.
Western Australian Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti also sought to reassure the community, insisting the group poses “no risk” to the public.
At a press conference earlier this week, representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed that the outbreak of this rare virus does not constitute a pandemic, although it has stirred anxieties in the Canary Islands and beyond.
