A British passenger who sailed on a hantavirus-affected cruise will fly to Australia from the Netherlands on Thursday while dressed in full protective gear, the Australian government said. The passenger was in 'good health', showed no symptoms, and recently tested negative for the virus, Health Minister Mark Butler told a news conference in Canberra.
A British passenger who sailed on a hantavirus-affected cruise will fly to Australia from the Netherlands on Thursday while dressed in full protective gear , the Australian government said.
Four Australians and a New Zealander will also be on the flight as part of 'the strongest quarantine arrangements in the world'. The six passengers were in 'good health', showed no symptoms, and recently tested negative for the virus, Health Minister Mark Butler told a news conference in Canberra. The Australian government has secured a plane and crew, due to leave the Netherlands at 7.30am GMT on Thursday, with all aboard required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).
The plane is expected to arrive on Friday at an air force base in the Western Australian capital, Perth, located next to a 500-bed quarantine facility where the six will be required to stay for at least three weeks, Butler said.
'This is one of the strongest quarantine arrangements in response to this hantavirus outbreak you will find anywhere in the world,' Butler said. 'They will be subject to testing when they arrive in Australia, and they will be in full PPE during the duration of the flight, so there is no risk of transmission. ' He did not provide further details about the passengers or say where the plane would refuel - a question that had reportedly complicated flight arrangements.
A passenger of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is pictured while leaving by military bus after disembarking in the port of Granadilla de Abona on Tenerife this week Staff wearing PPE suits prepare for the transfer of passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship The government has yet to determine how to handle the passengers' isolation after the initial three-week quarantine, given the virus' potential incubation period of 42 days, the minister said. It comes as a British man quarantined in Milan over hantavirus fears, despite not having any symptoms, was taken from the bed and breakfast he was staying in - and will now have to remain locked up for a month.
The man, in his 60s, was stopped at the guesthouse where he was staying in the Pasteur area of Milan, along with a 50-year-old man who had joined him in Italy. Both have tested negative for the hantavirus, but the older man has been told to remain in Italy as he is deemed a 'close contact' of Dutch woman Mirijam Schilperood, who died in South Africa and was onboard MV Hondius.
Schilperood, who had been on the April 25 Airlink flight from St Helena to Johannesburg, was sitting in 13C, a subsequent positive hantavirus case sat in 14B, while the British passenger was in 15F. The man had then flown on to Italy, where he had spent 17 days touring Rome, Florence, Venice and the Cinque Terre near Genoa. Mrs Schilperood's husband Leon also died on the ship, and the two are thought to have contracted the deadly rat-borne Andes virus strain while travelling in southern Argentina, where it is prevalent.
Guido Bertolaso, of the health department at Lombardy council in Milan, said: 'Both men were identified at their B&B after details were provided by British authorities.
'One is in his 60s and a resident of St Helena, while the other is younger, in his 50s. 'Neither is showing symptoms of the virus, and both have tested negative, but the older man will remain in quarantine in Italy until June 6 to ensure he doesn't develop the virus. 'The younger man will be allowed to return home.
'The alert was received from the UK authorities at 2.14pm local time on Tuesday, and the men were found just before 8pm when they returned to their B&B. 'The test results were confirmed at 5am on Wednesday morning. 'The older man will stay in the hospital or at another site, as he cannot quarantine in the B&B, as it is not adequate.
'The younger man is not deemed a close contact, but he has been advised to carry on testing and keep an eye out for symptoms. ' Passengers evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was affected by a hantavirus outbreak, walk with their belongings after disembarking at Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands, May 12 The UK government notified Italian authorities about the British tourist, who had visited various countries, including Amsterdam, before arriving in Milan, where his travel plans came to an abrupt halt.
Because he had no private accommodation and was staying in a B&B, he will have to endure the whole of his quarantine in a single room in the Infectious Diseases ward of the hospital
Hantavirus Cruise Ship Evacuation Protective Gear Quarantine Flight Arrangements Isolation Incubation Period Close Contact Rat-Borne Andes Virus Strain Argentina Italy South Africa St Helena Lombardy Council Infectious Diseases Ward B&B
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