Austrian Man Classified as Low-Risk Contact After Brief Exposure to Hantavirus Patient on Flight

An Austrian man has been identified as a low-risk contact after briefly sharing a KLM flight with a woman infected with the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus. The incident occurred on April 25 during a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam. The infected Dutch woman, who had been evacuated from the cruise ship 'Hondius' where an outbreak occurred, was seriously ill and died shortly after in Johannesburg. Although she boarded the plane, she was removed before takeoff due to her condition. The Austrian passenger, seated at a distance, remains asymptomatic. Health authorities have instructed him to self-monitor for six weeks, avoid large gatherings and medical facilities, and wear an FFP2 mask in crowded indoor spaces. This case is linked to a broader outbreak on the 'Hondius,' which has resulted in three deaths among passengers from various nations. In response, Austria has expanded its reporting requirements to include suspected person-to-person transmissible hantavirus cases. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control assesses the general risk in Europe as very low, noting no other cases in Austria.