Health authorities are tracing 82 passengers who travelled on a flight from St Helena to Johannesburg after a traveller linked to an international cruise ship outbreak died shortly after arriving at OR Tambo International Airport.

The 69-year-old Dutch national collapsed while in transit through the airport on April 25 and was taken to a nearby medical facility, where she later died.

Her death has been linked to hantavirus, a rare but potentially deadly infection.

Airline Airlink confirmed the passenger had been onboard flight 4Z 132 from St Helena Island to Johannesburg, which carried 82 passengers and six crew members.

“On Sunday, May 2, Airlink was notified by South Africa’s public health authorities that a passenger who had flown on the flight had died after she arrived in Johannesburg and that her death was attributed to the rare hantavirus,” said Karin Murray, marketing and sales manager at Airlink.

“At the time when the flight was operated, Airlink was unaware that any of the passengers were unwell.”

The airline said it has since provided the Department of Health with the full passenger manifest, including contact details and seating allocations, to assist with contact tracing.

Also read: Health department urges calm over cruise ship hantavirus case

Airlink has also begun contacting passengers directly, advising them to get in touch with health authorities if they have not yet been reached.

“In accordance with health protocols, Airlink provided the Department of Health with the passenger manifest for contact tracing,” Murray said.

The airline added that the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew remain a priority, noting that its aircraft are maintained and cleaned in line with strict public health and aviation regulations.

Airlink’s Embraer fleet is equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, similar to those used in hospital operating theatres, which continuously clean cabin air.

The case forms part of a wider cluster of illnesses linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina in early April and travelled across the South Atlantic.

According to the Department of Health, two passengers from the vessel entered South Africa, including the deceased woman and a British national who remains in critical condition at a private hospital in Sandton.

Laboratory tests have confirmed hantavirus infection in the hospitalised patient, while further results are pending in other cases.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Health, is continuing contact tracing efforts to identify and monitor individuals who may have been exposed.

The World Health Organization has reported a total of seven cases linked to the outbreak, including three deaths. Symptoms have included fever, gastrointestinal illness and rapid progression to severe respiratory complications.

Health authorities have reiterated that the risk to the general public remains low and there is no need for panic at this stage.