Passenger later diagnosed with hantavirus was removed from KLM Johannesburg flight before take-off

What KLM said

The airline identified the flight as KL592 from Johannesburg to Amsterdam, scheduled to take off on April 25 at 11:15pm local time. According to KLM, the crew did not allow the passenger to travel because of their medical condition.

“Due to the passenger’s medical condition at the time, the crew decided not to allow the passenger to travel on the flight.”

After the passenger was removed from the aircraft, KLM said, the flight departed for the Netherlands.

Health follow-up

KLM said Dutch health authorities are reaching out to other passengers aboard the flight “as a precaution.”

Broader context: cruise ship outbreak and the virus

The case drew attention amid a related outbreak linked to a cruise ship. A passenger who recently disembarked from the MV Hondius tested positive for a deadly strain of hantavirus after arriving in Europe. The ship had about 150 passengers; reports said three people on board are dead, some are in critical condition and the remainder are in quarantine. The MV Hondius is reported to be docked near Cape Verde; three passengers were medically evacuated to the Netherlands and the remaining passengers are expected to travel to the Canary Islands for medical screening before onward travel to their home countries.

How hantavirus spreads

Hantavirus is a rodent-borne illness. It spreads when people breathe air contaminated by infected rodent droppings, urine or saliva, and does not spread through casual human contact. The specific Andes orthohantavirus, found in South America, is the only known hantavirus strain that can spread between humans, and that requires prolonged, close contact.

Reporting based on a KLM statement and related news reports.