Australians quarantining in Perth learn their hantavirus fate

Six people stuck in a Perth quarantine centre after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on their cruise ship have discovered they're not infected.

The four Australian citizens, one permanent resident and a New Zealand national quarantining for three weeks in Western Australia's Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience received their blood test results today.

The federal Health Department confirmed they were well and would only be retested if they developed symptoms.

The passengers were exposed to the Andes strain of the virus when a couple boarded their cruise after visiting parts of Argentina and Chile, which are home to a rat species that carries the disease.

The federal government said the health and safety of the community and the wellbeing of the cruise passengers remained its priority.

Canada today recorded its first case of the virus. One of the four Canadians on board the ship was diagnosed after developing mild symptoms.

Local authorities said the group had not come into contact with the public, and the infected patient was in a stable condition.

Three people died after contracting Hantavirus on the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship, sparking a global effort to evacuate and quarantine dozens of passengers and crew.

Rats carry hantavirus, but the World Health Organisation said it believed the Andes strain was capable of human-to-human transmission.

It was the first case of a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler previously said the government was taking a precautionary approach, emphasising that human-to-human transmission of the virus was extremely rare.

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