Hantavirus, Ministry of Health: 'Surveillance on 4 passengers who passed through Rome'

"Following reports received through international circuits regarding the outbreak of Andes Hantavirus linked to the ship MV Hondius", the Ministry of Health "activated the planned risk assessment, surveillance and health coordination procedures, in line with national and international protocols".

In particular, four people arrived in Italia on the KLM flight connecting to Rome on which the woman who was hospitalised in Johannesburg and died there had boarded for a few minutes. The contact details of the four passengers were acquired.

The Ministry of Health then 'forwarded the information to the relevant regions (Calabria, Campania, Tuscany, Veneto) for the activation of active surveillance procedures, in the principle of maximum caution'.

"The four passengers," Mara Campitiello, head of the ministry's department of prevention, research and health emergencies told Tg1, "have been traced, the information has been sent to the regions that will proceed to start all active surveillance procedures, we understand that they have no symptoms, the passenger who later died was seated in a distant row and was on board the flight for a short time.

One of the four passengers is a woman in Florence. "We immediately activated the required protocols," said Health Councillor Monia Monni, "and made contact with our fellow citizen, currently living in Florence," who "has been placed under precautionary quarantine pending the necessary clinical examinations to verify the possible contraction of the virus.