Woman Who Died From Hantavirus Was Onboard Packed KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in Johannesburg

Key Points:

• A woman infected with the Andes strain of Hantavirus was removed from a KLM flight at Johannesburg International Airport due to her ill condition and later died in hospital; Dutch authorities are conducting contact tracing for passengers on KLM flight KL-592 from Johannesburg to Amsterdam.
• The woman and her husband contracted the virus after a cruise on the MV Hondius, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina; her husband died earlier on April 11, and she became symptomatic before attempting to board the KLM flight.
• The Andes strain of Hantavirus can be transmitted through close human contact, prompting urgent tracing of passengers on both the KLM flight and the Airlink regional flight from St Helena, which the woman took prior to Johannesburg.
• A third death linked to the outbreak has been reported from a female cruise passenger, and several others remain critically ill or have been medically evacuated; the MV Hondius is currently en route to Tenerife with about 150 passengers and crew onboard.
• KLM and Airlink are cooperating with health authorities and the WHO, with KLM expressing condolences and emphasizing close collaboration with the Dutch National Institute for Public Health in managing the outbreak.