A Dutch national who later died from hantavirus briefly boarded a KLM flight in Johannesburg on April 25, prompting Dutch health authorities to begin informing every passenger on board as a precaution. The flight, KL592, left for Amsterdam after the passenger was removed because of the person’s medical condition.
RIVM told KLM yesterday evening that the passenger had been on the aircraft before the plane departed at 11:15 p.m. local time, with the trip also operating under codeshares AF8282, DL9560 and SK6855. GGD Kennemerland is now contacting all passengers who were on board.
The concern centers on the Andes strain of hantavirus, which RIVM says has indications of person-to-person transmission. Even so, the institute says that route appears to be very rare, with only a few cases reported internationally and spread occurring only after very close contact.
The episode leaves KLM working alongside RIVM and GGD Kennemerland on a case that was already tragic for the family involved and may now prompt added caution for a wider circle of travelers. The key question is whether any passenger had the kind of close contact that health officials say would be needed for transmission, though the authorities have said the risk remains low.
