Patient has died

Hantavirus: Three passengers sought after Vienna flight

Three people who were seated on the same KLM flight as a passenger who died from the infection also landed in Vienna.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/MAX SLOVENCIK, IHERPHOTO - stock.adobe.com)

It’s like hunting for a phantom! Following a flight from Johannesburg to Vienna, health authorities had to take action regarding three passengers who may have come into contact with a hantavirus patient who later died.

First things first: The risk that the three “Austrian patients” will contract the pathogen—transmitted by small rodents—is negligible. Nevertheless, our health authorities have set out to track down two men and one woman who were on the same KLM flight on April 25 as a passenger from the cruise ship MV Hondius—on which, as is well known, a hantavirus outbreak had occurred—who had briefly checked in at Johannesburg, South Africa.

As the woman’s health deteriorated so rapidly, she disembarked quickly but unfortunately passed away. She is one of three people who have died so far; a total of eleven additional cases of infection have been reported to date. 

Three people who were seated on the same KLM flight as a passenger who died from the infection also landed in Vienna.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/MAX SLOVENCIK, IHERPHOTO - stock.adobe.com)

Meticulous detective work in the search
Via Amsterdam (Netherlands), the plane eventually landed in Vienna as well. On board: three contacts with ties to Austria. The authorities had to act; the search for the passengers can be imagined as a hunt for a phantom.

Doctors in protective suits during the transport of several infected individuals in Australia(Bild: AFP/ANTONY DICKSON)

Six weeks of self-monitoring
While “Patient 1” was quickly tracked down through meticulous detective work—as reported by a Viennese resident—a Slovakian working here has since been identified as well. He, too, is subject to self-monitoring. This means he must observe himself for possible symptoms for six weeks. 

The third case involves a woman. Her name is known, but apparently she is already in her home country of Poland, where the local authorities have been alerted. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), all individuals are low-risk contacts because they were not seated in the same row or within two rows in front of or behind the patient.

Minister: “No Cause for Concern”
Health Minister Korinna Schumann also reassures the public: “As things stand, there is no cause for concern for the population in Austria. There are currently no confirmed cases domestically, and international health authorities continue to assess the risk to the general population as very low.”

Schumann highlights that the rapid identification of the second low-risk contact also demonstrates how quickly and closely the health authorities are working together with international partners: “Austria is well prepared.”