Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship off Spain doesn’t have “pandemic potential” as six passengers head to Perth on a repatriation flight to quarantine in Bullsbrook.
Mr Butler announced on Monday the group from the infected MV Hondius — anchored off Spain’s Canary Islands — will commence a minimum three-week quarantine when they arrive at the RAAF Pearce air base.
He said the risk of spread to the public was low.
“I want to stress that our primary responsibility as a Government, obviously, is to keep our community safe and healthy,” Mr Butler said.
“We also have a responsibility to those passengers, to bring them home and to protect them from any risk, no matter how small.”
Australian Medical Association WA President Kyle Hoath said there was no cause for alarm.
“No need to panic,” he said.
He’s confident it can be managed, but Dr Hoath said there’s a lot about the hantavirus that is unknown.
“There’s certainly no experience in Australia with dealing with this kind of virus, so we don’t know how much of a problem it’ll be,” he said.
“To the best of our knowledge, transmission of the hantavirus requires very close contact, so it’s not as readily spread as something like Covid.”
The six passengers include three people from New South Wales, two from Queensland, and a New Zealander.
Bullsbrook’s Centre for National Resilience was built in 2022 as the Covid pandemic subsided and has only been used once before, as an emergency shelter during a bushfire in December 2023.
It has 500 beds and is set up for people to isolate.
Each self-contained single unit includes a bathroom, air conditioning, television, internet access, and a small kitchenette with a microwave and fridge.
Three people have died and eight have been infected from the virus-stricken vessel near Tenerife but Mr Butler said human to human transmission of the virus was “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,” he said.
“Transmission of this virus can have very, very serious, including deadly consequences.”
Mr Butler said the group travelling to Perth were not displaying symptoms but vowed there they would be tested regularly.
WA Health Minister Meredith Hammat said the Bullsbrook facility was “safe and appropriate” facility for them.
“While I sympathise with their circumstances at this challenging time, quarantine is a necessary precaution to make sure our community stays safe,” she said.
“The health and safety of Western Australians is paramount as we activate our resources, and support this national response.”
Mr Butler said that a private contractor would be appointed to assist the repatriated passengers during their stay in WA.
“We want to do everything possible to make sure this is as comfortable a trip and quarantine period as is possible,” he said.
It’s unclear whether the repatriation flight’s crew will be required to isolate too or how many, if any, WA Health staff will assist monitoring.
The group’s escort between RAAF Pearce and the Bullsbook facility, seven kilometres away, will be required to wear protective equipment.
“WA Health will continue to monitor the situation and provide appropriate support and public health advice,” Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Huppatz said.
“This is a very rare disease, with human-to-human transmission rarer still.”
Dr Hoath said the public should only take normal precautions.
“We’re coming into winter. I think it’s a great idea to wear a mask, to wash your hands and to stay home if you’re sick,” he said.
He warned the group’s quarantine period may need to be extended, with the incubation period for the virus believed to be as long as eight weeks.
“Given that we don’t have testing programs for hantavirus and we don’t have treatments or great knowledge around how it spreads, every precaution should be taken,” Dr Hoath said.
“We don’t want to put extra strain onto our hospitals and an outbreak of any kind of virus that is new to our community would be potentially disastrous.
“Thankfully, it doesn’t look like that’s where we’re heading with the hantavirus.
“We don’t know enough at the moment, but I am reassured to see that action has been taken around using quarantine, and that this isn’t being treated lightly.”
Once the group undertakes the scheduled three week quarantine period in WA, health authorities will then evaluate the arrangements going forward.
Tests taken from the group in WA will be flown to Melbourne’s Doherty Institute, which is the only facility able to undertake the PCR or serology testing for hantavirus.
Mr Butler said he made “no apology” for Australia’s response being “one of the stronger responses you will see around the world”.
He said while other nations were placing passengers in facilities for three to four days, Australia’s three-week period was seen as a “precautionary approach”.
“A distinguishing factor for Australia though, is that these passengers will have to come home on quite a long flight from Tenerife,” he said.
“Unlike travelling just to the UK, for example, probably in a relatively small plane with a higher risk of transmission during transit.”
The Minister said the Commonwealth would be responsible for any costs related to their quarantine.
It includes footing the bill for the New Zealand passenger as part of a “good, brotherly, sisterly relations with our friends over the ditch”.
Premier Roger Cook said WA was ready and able to assist.
“It’s the closest place, they’re just trying to bring these Australians home and Western Australia is their first point of contact,” he said.
“When they get here, we’ll be able to assist the Commonwealth to provide them with the medical care and attention they need”.
Tests taken from the group in WA will be flown to Melbourne’s Doherty Institute, which is the only facility able to undertake the PCR or serology testing for hantavirus.
The virus is usually spread by rodents but also transmittable person-to-person in rare cases of close contact.
The Aussie travellers were among 147 people on board the MV Hondius, which detected a rare case of the Andes strain in Johannesburg on May 2 when a British man fell ill.
It came after a 70-year-old Dutch man fell ill on April 6, just five days after the ship departed from Argentina, and died on board.
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