Home / Health / Hantavirus Cruise Ship Survivors Fly Home to Quarantine
Hantavirus Cruise Ship Survivors Fly Home to Quarantine
15 May
Summary
- Australian citizens returned home after a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise.
- Three passengers died from the virus, with eleven others infected.
- All returning citizens tested negative and will isolate for three weeks.
Australian citizens who were aboard a luxury cruise ship experiencing a hantavirus outbreak have returned to the country. They arrived on a government-chartered flight at an air force base near Perth, Western Australia, on Friday, May 15, 2026. The group, consisting of four citizens and one permanent resident, will immediately proceed to a quarantine facility.
Health Minister Mark Butler confirmed that all members of the group tested negative for the virus and showed no symptoms before their flight departed from the Netherlands. They are scheduled to undergo further testing during their mandatory three-week isolation period. The World Health Organization reported that eleven passengers on the MV Hondius contracted hantavirus, leading to three fatalities.
Health experts have advised calm, noting that hantavirus is significantly less contagious than COVID-19 and poses a minimal risk to the general public. The virus, primarily spread by rodents, can rarely be transmitted between people. Symptoms typically include flu-like signs such as fever and fatigue, appearing one to eight weeks after exposure.
