Dutch Woman, 69 (Index Wife)

she died at a hospital in Kempton Park, near Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport. South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed her infection by PCR using a routine blood sample originally marked for destruction; an NICD team intervened to preserve it (described by Prof Lucille Blumberg as 'a stroke of luck'). Partial genetic sequencing was performed in Johannesburg on May 5; the sample volume was limited and the viral load low, giving this case the lowest sequencing coverage in the cluster's May 13 multi-lab genetic analysis. Contact tracing on her KLM flight is being led by the Kennemerland regional health authority in the Netherlands: 5 high-risk contacts (including the flight attendant who assisted her) on daily monitoring through June 1; about 50 secondary contacts on symptom watch; 3 symptomatic passengers tested in Dutch hospitals (2 negative, 1 pending). Earlier dossier text described the hospital as in Johannesburg generally; the more specific location is Kempton Park

• dailymaverick.co.za
• virological.org
• dutchreview.com

Disembarked at Saint Helena April 24 2026 with husbands remains, then took Airlink flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg on April 25 with 82 passengers and 6 crew now under contact tracing. Boarded KLM flight KL592 from Johannesburg to Amsterdam on April 25 but was removed before takeoff after KLM crew noticed her deteriorating condition; transferred to a Johannesburg hospital where she died. Molecular testing on May 4 confirmed Andes hantavirus infection. A KLM flight attendant exposed to her was hospitalized at Amsterdam UMC on May 6 with hantavirus-consistent symptoms but tested negative on May 8

• news.klm.com
• nltimes.nl
• cnn.com

Dutch female, age 69. Wife of MVH-001. Shared entire 4-month South America road trip (Nov 2025-Apr 2026) including Chile, Uruguay, Argentina. Same Ushuaia birdwatching exposure plus close-contact exposure to symptomatic husband in shared cabin. Disembarked at Saint Helena April 24 accompanying husbands body. Evacuated to Johannesburg, South Africa. April 25: boarded KLM flight KL592 (Johannesburg-Amsterdam) but was on aircraft only 45 minutes before being removed — too ill to continue

60 passengers on KL592 identified for contact tracing, 5 classified as high-risk contacts. Died April 26 in Johannesburg hospital. Confirmed ANDV. KL592 EXPOSURE: This flight became a critical tracing event. See KL-001 (flight attendant) for outcome. Sources: WHO DON, CNN, DutchNews.nl, CBC News. Updated 2026-05-09: PCR-confirmed positive for Andes-variant hantavirus on May 4, 2026 (nine days post-mortem) per NL Times reporting. Briefly boarded KLM KL592 at O.R. Tambo on April 25 before staff removed her, leading to contact-tracing operation around the flight attendant (later tested negative) and five close-contact passengers. Minor source conflict on death date (April 25 vs 26); WHO/CNN/DutchNews date of April 26 retained

nltimes.nl, paddleyourownkanoo.com, en.wikipedia.org