Two people in Finland have been placed in quarantine after possible exposure to the Andes strain of hantavirus during an international flight in April, Finnish health authorities said.
The two passengers were on a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam on 25 April. A traveller infected with the virus was briefly on the aircraft before being removed because of illness. The person died the following day.
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, known as THL, confirmed that the exposed passengers remain without symptoms.
THL specialist Liina Voutilainen told Helsingin Sanomat that the quarantine order was issued on Monday by the local health authority responsible for infectious diseases. Officials have not disclosed the region where the passengers live.
Finland’s government classified the Andes strain as a generally hazardous communicable disease on Monday. The change allows authorities to impose formal quarantine orders and gives affected people access to infectious disease compensation payments.
According to THL, the two passengers had already remained in near-isolation conditions since last Friday before the formal order was issued.
The quarantine period for Andes hantavirus exposure is set at 42 days from exposure because of the virus’s long incubation period. Health officials said the quarantine could end earlier if the risk assessment changes.
Voutilainen told Finnish media outlet Yle that the passengers have remained symptom-free for 18 days since exposure. She said around half of infections would normally produce symptoms within that period, reducing the likelihood of illness as more time passes.
THL also said it is unlikely the two passengers exposed anyone else in Finland because Andes hantavirus is believed to spread between humans only through close contact, usually shortly before or during the early stages of symptoms.
“There are no known infections in Finland and the infection risk remains very small,” Voutilainen said, according to Yle.
The Andes strain is rare among hantaviruses because it is one of the few known forms capable of spreading between people. Most hantaviruses spread from rodents to humans through contact with urine, droppings or contaminated dust.
The current outbreak has been linked to passengers travelling on the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, which departed from Argentina earlier this year. The vessel was later redirected to Tenerife, where passengers were evacuated and returned to their home countries.
At least three deaths linked to the outbreak have been reported. Infections have also been confirmed in France and Spain.
THL chief physician Leif Lakoma told STT that testing for the virus is not yet available in Finland. Samples would currently be analysed in Sweden if symptoms appear.
Lakoma said person-to-person transmission of Andes hantavirus remains rare and usually requires prolonged close contact.
The World Health Organization has stated that the virus is not considered a pandemic threat.
HT