Hantavirus bombshell as 2 vials of deadly rat virus vanished from Australian lab in 2024 | World | News

Two vials of hantavirus were among more than 300 vials of viruses that disappeared from an Australian lab in 2024.

Alongside these vials, there were also nearly 100 vials that contained the Hendra virus (transmitted from horses to humans), and 223 vials contained the lyssavirus (rabies virus).

At the time, it was said that the most probable cause of the “disappearance” was thought to be the loss of containers during transfer to a new freezer.

An investigation was carried out by the Ministry of Health, who determined they were likely destroyed rather than stolen or lost.

The information has resurfaced after the deadly virus infected passengers on board the MV Hondius ship, prompting many to ask the question again of what really happened to the missing vials.

Three people – a 70-year-old Dutch man, his 69-year-old wife, and a German woman – have so far died after the outbreak linked to the cruise ship.

British ex-policeman Martin Anstee, 56, and two other cruise passengers have arrived in the Netherlands for special treatment, while another patient is being treated in Zurich, Switzerland.

The Andes strain has been identified in positive samples on the MV Hondius and is the only hantavirus known to spread from human to human.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have issued a statement after the outbreak has caused concern that another pandemic could break out following the release of passengers from the ship.

A WHO spokesperson said: “This is not Coronavirus. This is a very different virus; we know this virus…this is not the start of a COVID pandemic.”

“This is an outbreak we see on a ship, this is a confined area.

“It doesn’t spread the same way, it’s very different.”

Most hatanvirus’ don’t transmit between people at all.

WHO added that precautionary actions are being taken to prevent any onwards spread, with a lot being done currently to stop the situation worsening.