'More unknowns than knowns' in cruise ship outbreak of Hantavirus episode artwork

EPISODE · May 5, 2026 · 55 MIN

'More unknowns than knowns' in cruise ship outbreak of Hantavirus

from The Radio National Hour · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Four Australians are among dozens of passengers trapped on board a luxury cruise ship that's been refused safe harbour following a suspected outbreak of Hantavirus. One person is confirmed to have died and two other deaths are being investigated. So what is this mystery virus and where does it come from? Sanjaya Senanayake, Associate Professor and Infectious Diseases Specialist with the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology says its a dangerous but rare infection that's usually passed from rodents to humans. The death of a newborn baby in a homeless camp on the banks of the Murrumbidgee in Wagga Wagga over the weekend has exposed, yet again, our broken housing system. Advocates say it's a complex problem that intersects with issues including domestic violence and mental health. Australia is famous for its flora and fauna, but it was Steve Irwin who inspired Justine E Hausheer's obsession with Australian wildlife. It's a passion which brought her to the frontline of Australia’s extinction crisis, urgently documented in her new book The Vanishing Wild. 

Four Australians are among dozens of passengers trapped on board a luxury cruise ship that's been refused safe harbour following a suspected outbreak of Hantavirus. One person is confirmed to have died and two other deaths are being investigated. So what is this mystery virus and where does it come from? Sanjaya Senanayake, Associate Professor and Infectious Diseases Specialist with the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology says its a dangerous but rare infection that's usually passed from rodents to humans.  The death of a newborn baby in a homeless camp on the banks of the Murrumbidgee in Wagga Wagga over the weekend has exposed, yet again, our broken housing system. Advocates say it's a complex problem that intersects with issues including domestic violence and mental health.  Australia is famous for its flora and fauna, but it was Steve Irwin who inspired Justine E Hausheer's obsession with Australian wildlife. It's a passion which brought her to the frontline of Australia’s extinction crisis, urgently documented in her new book The Vanishing Wild.

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'More unknowns than knowns' in cruise ship outbreak of Hantavirus

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This episode was published on May 5, 2026.

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Four Australians are among dozens of passengers trapped on board a luxury cruise ship that's been refused safe harbour following a suspected outbreak of Hantavirus. One person is confirmed to have died and two other deaths are being investigated....

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