What dealing with Covid-19 taught us about Hantavirus outbreak

When news broke of a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, the world held its collective breath.

The pain and fatigue of the Covid-19 epidemic, marked by years of quarantines, border closures and physical distance, were never forgotten by the public when the rodent-borne disease spread among passengers on the MV Hondius, which set off from Argentina in April.

It was stated that 11 of the 146 passengers and crew on the MV Hondius were linked to the hantarvir outbreak, three died and the fourth was in intensive care.

But with the outbreak brought under control in a handful of cruise passengers, the threat of another global public health emergency has receded.

Five Australian citizens, one permanent resident and one New Zealand citizen were repatriated after the virus-hit ship docked at Tenerife in the Canary Islands on a federal government-chartered flight that landed in Perth on Friday.

None were asymptomatic but all will be forced to quarantine and be closely monitored by health officials for at least three weeks at a private facility in Bullsbrook, 43 kilometers north of Perth.

“They will be subject to the strongest quarantine regulations you will find anywhere in the world,” Health Minister Mark Butler said on Friday.

Suman Majumdar is Associate Professor and Chief Medical Officer for Covid and Health Emergencies at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne. He said the legacy of the pandemic has led to greater public awareness of the importance of quickly responding to and containing an infectious disease outbreak.

“I think people generally understand the devastation that Covid has caused, and we want to prevent that from happening (in the future),” Associate Professor Majumdar told NewsWire.

“Acting quickly to control the outbreak is the best way to do this. This was the recommendation of every independent agency.”

For Australians watching, the MV Hondius outbreak would bring back memories of the ill-fated voyage aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which was the subject of a major Covid outbreak at the start of the pandemic.

Berthed at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Sydney’s Circular Quay with approximately 2700 passengers and crew on board; Some of these had cold- and flu-like symptoms.

Although mandatory 14-day isolation requirements remain in place for all international arrivals, those on board the Ruby Princess were allowed to disembark without being checked.

In the weeks that followed, more than 663 passengers and crew tested positive for Covid-19, and 28 passengers died.

Following a lengthy civil case, in 2023 the Federal Court ruled that the cruise operator Carnival Australia, which chartered the ship, was negligent and misleading in its statements about the risks of contracting coronavirus while on board.

While the risk of widespread hantavirus transmission is significantly lower than that of Covid, Professor Majumdar said the “swift and transparent action” taken by authorities to quarantine affected Australians and provide clear messaging had a noticeable impact on how the outbreak was perceived by the Australian public.

“A good lesson from Covid is that communication needs to be very transparent and state the known and unknown rather than being absolute (about everything),” he said.

“We don’t know the full implications of how hantavirus spreads, so we’ve responded in Australia with very stringent protocols that include the isolation and quarantine of those contacts, which is very appropriate and an important step forward.

“We also have a new agency called the Australian Center for Disease Control and that’s absolutely critical to our response and it’s also important for people to understand that this is a new mechanism that we’re putting in place.”

Authorities believe one of the patients was infected before boarding the ship in Argentina, where the Andean strain of the virus is endemic.

The virus, which spreads through the urine, saliva and feces of rats and mice, can incubate for up to 40 days before symptoms appear.

University of the Sunshine Coast Associate Professor Erin Price said while there was a “high risk” of local Andean virus outbreaks around the world in the coming weeks and months, Australia had an advantage.

Asst. Assoc. “As we have learned during Covid, Australia’s geographically isolated location means that the risk of a hantavirus outbreak in our community is currently very low,” Price said.

“We do not have the rodent species that would cause Andean virus to become endemic in Australia, so our only risk is imported cases from travellers.”

University of NSW School of Population Health lecturer Dr. Saiful Islam, MD, said the cluster underscores the need for a “One Health” or unified approach to epidemiological emergencies.

“Quick identification of the outbreak, confirmation of the virus and implementation of infection prevention measures are important steps that will likely reduce the likelihood of further transmission,” Dr Islam said.

“However, precautionary measures, including isolation, monitoring for symptoms, and careful infection control practices among caregivers, should continue throughout the incubation period.

“As this strain of virus is not present in Australia, preventing environmental contamination and ensuring appropriate biosecurity management of waste generated from potentially exposed individuals are also important components of the public health response.”

Professor Majumdar said governments should continue to respond quickly to public health emergencies but also think ahead to future responses.

“We need innovative thinking on pandemic preparedness,” he said.

“The broader lesson here is not that the public should panic, but that preparedness is an ongoing responsibility. We need to continue to invest in the systems, people and partnerships that allow us to respond before the threat escalates.”

“The next big threat like this is likely to be airborne spread, and one of the main areas that is not moving fast enough is airborne preparedness, which could be interventions that can prevent airborne transmission in public places and environments.

“When major health emergencies arise, people are generally prepared to do something, but we must ensure that governments work together to build comprehensive trust (in society).”