A KLM crew member has been admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam for testing after a possible hantavirus infection, according to the Dutch Ministry of Health. Local media suggest she may have had contact with the passenger who died in South Africa from the same virus, although the airline has not confirmed this link. The deceased woman attempted to board a flight on April 25 in Johannesburg, but the crew prevented her from boarding due to her poor health.
Health protocols and airport response to the outbreak 🦠
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health notified KLM that the deceased passenger was briefly on board the flight before being denied boarding. The case has activated contact tracing protocols among cabin crew who may have interacted with her. The airline follows WHO guidelines for managing infectious diseases, while South African authorities investigate the source of the infection. The hospitalized flight attendant remains stable and under observation, according to hospital sources.
The flight that wasn't: when saying no saves lives ✈️
The KLM flight crew did what many passengers would wish for: preventing someone clearly ill from boarding the plane. Too bad the virus doesn't understand borders or waiting lists. While the flight attendant undergoes testing, the rest of the staff wonders if their next passenger will be a tourist or a biological vector. At least, the in-flight coffee remains safe.