The World Health Organization has confirmed that a flight attendant working for Dutch airline KLM tested negative for hantavirus after being hospitalized in Amsterdam with mild symptoms.
The flight attendant was tested after reportedly coming into contact with a cruise ship passenger who was removed from a KLM flight departing Johannesburg for the Netherlands on April 25 and later died from the virus in South Africa.
According to reports, the passenger was the widow of the first victim linked to the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Speaking on the development, a WHO spokesperson told AFP that the agency had received confirmation through its International Health Regulations (IHR) focal point that the crew member tested negative for the virus.
The Dutch passenger reportedly died in a Johannesburg hospital on April 26 after testing positive for hantavirus.
She was among three fatalities connected to the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which sailed from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde on April 1.
KLM had earlier explained that the passenger was prevented from boarding the flight due to her deteriorating health condition.
“The crew decided not to allow the passenger to travel on the flight because of her medical condition at the time,” the airline stated, adding that the aircraft later departed for the Netherlands after the passenger was removed.
The airline also disclosed that Dutch health authorities had begun contacting passengers from the flight as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and South Africa are reportedly monitoring and treating individuals suspected of possible exposure to the virus.