Modern-day fever ship requires calm and commonsense

May 13, 2026 — 4:52pm

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The fever ship was a constant dread in the days when Australia was only reachable by sea.

The yellow flag warning people to stay away was flown many times over the 152-year history of the North Head Quarantine Station. Some 600 people who died from epidemics of smallpox, bubonic plague, Spanish influenza and typhus are buried there.

Last week, a modern-day fever ship hove to on the horizon.

An outbreak of the rare but deadly hantavirus was identified on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, and the world watched as the ship sailed around the Atlantic Ocean as authorities worked to address the potential medical emergency.

About 150 passengers – including four Australians, a permanent resident as........

© The Sydney Morning Herald