Two vials ofhantaviruswere 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.
Read more:British tourist missing after leaving hantavirus cruise early as cases rise
Read more:Major hantavirus cruise update as more Brits confirmed to have left 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.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
