The World Health Organization has officially declared the hantavirus outbreak linked to MV Hondius over, more than a month after the Australian and New Zealand contacts quarantined in Western Australia completed their isolation.
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the final contact of a person exposed to hantavirus on the ship had completed their quarantine period, tested negative and returned home. With no further cases reported since 25 May, the WHO said it now considers the outbreak over.
The four Australian citizens, one permanent resident and one New Zealander who were flown to RAAF Base Pearce and quarantined at the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience finished their 42-day isolation period on 23 June, having tested negative throughout.
In total, the outbreak infected 13 people and killed three, all linked to the Andes virus strain the passengers were exposed to during a birdwatching excursion in Argentina before boarding the ship in Ushuaia on April 1.
Tedros said more than 650 contacts were identified and monitored across 33 countries and territories over the course of the response – among the most extensive contact-tracing operations WHO has coordinated for a single-vessel outbreak. He said WHO is now coordinating a 21-country study into how the disease develops, to support future diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.
MV Hondius has already returned to service. Following the disinfection operation carried out by biosecurity specialists EWS Group, the ship departed Rotterdam on schedule and began its Arctic season out of Longyearbyen on 13 June, operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed.
