Australia extends quarantine for cruise ship passengers exposed to Andes hantavirus outbreak

Six individuals—four Australian citizens, one permanent resident, and one New Zealand citizen—quarantined at the Centre for National Resilience in Bullsbrook, Western Australia, have had their isolation extended to 23 June following two new confirmed Andes hantavirus infections among cruise ship contacts. The passengers, who arrived 15 May after exposure aboard the MV Hondius, were scheduled to exit quarantine 5 June but Federal Health Minister Mark Butler extended the period to cover the full 42-day incubation window. Two additional passengers from Spain and the Netherlands tested positive over the weekend, bringing outbreak totals to 13 cases and 3 deaths. The six quarantined individuals remain asymptomatic with negative test results from the past 36 hours, though health authorities and WHO guidance indicate ongoing transmission risk through the incubation period. Andes hantavirus is the only strain capable of person-to-person transmission.