Two passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship linked to the hantavirus outbreak have returned to the UK and are self-isolating, as health officials say the risk to the public remains very low
Two individuals who were passengers on the cruise ship associated with the hantavirus outbreak are self-isolating after returning to the UK, according to health officials.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated that neither of these individuals from the MV Hondius are exhibiting symptoms and a number of those in close contact with them are also being “offered support and are also self-isolating”.
The health body added that it is assisting in tracking down people who may have shared a flight with a confirmed case. It is also preparing for the return of British nationals from the Dutch-flagged vessel to the UK. Health officials announced that once the ship docks in Tenerife, the remaining Britons can be repatriated if they remain symptom-free.
“None of the British citizens on board are currently reporting symptoms but they are being closely monitored,” the UKHSA declared in a statement.
In the meantime, it is collaborating with the Foreign Office and Border Force to “trace further individuals who may have been on the same flight as a confirmed case, in order to carry out public health risk assessments and ensure appropriate precautionary measures are in place”.
The UKHSA confirmed it is liaising with medical teams caring for Britons overseas. It emphasised that the risk to the general public “remains very low”.
Dr Meera Chand, deputy director for epidemic and emerging infections at UKHSA, said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius. It’s important to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains very low.
“We are standing up arrangements to support, isolate and monitor British nationals from the ship on their return to the UK and we are contact tracing anyone who may have been in contact with the ship or the hantavirus cases to limit the risk of onward transmission. UKHSA will continue to work closely with government partners to offer all necessary support.”
The outbreak has been traced to a birdwatching excursion in Argentina which two of the passengers attended before joining the vessel. Around 19 British nationals were registered as passengers on the cruise, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde, alongside four British crew members.
Two Britons, a passenger and a crew member, are amongst those who fell ill in the suspected outbreak, which has been connected to three fatalities. The crew member, believed to be a medic aboard the vessel, together with a Dutch crew member and another passenger were removed from the ship on Wednesday for onward transport to the Netherlands, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed.
Spanish health authorities reported the British medic is now in a more “stable condition” having previously been in a “critical condition”. The Associated Press confirmed that a medical evacuation flight touched down at Amsterdam’s airport on Wednesday evening.
The passenger had been medically evacuated from the vessel on April 27 and transported to Johannesburg, South Africa. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed the Foreign Office is “working urgently” to assist in getting Britons “safely home with proper protection for public health”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting commented: “The outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius will be worrying many. The Government are taking this incredibly seriously and are working urgently to support the British nationals involved. We are working across DHSC, UKHSA and the FCDO to ensure all those affected get home safely.”
The evacuation allows the vessel to proceed with its three-day voyage to the Canary Islands following Spanish authorities granting permission for the boat to dock.
However, controversy flared after the president of the Canary Islands voiced concerns about the ship’s arrival in Tenerife. In an online update, Spanish health officials stated that the vessel is anticipated to arrive within 72 to 96 hours.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) declared that everyone aboard should be regarded as a “close contact”. A Threat Assessment Brief issued by the European health agency noted: “We consider everyone on the ship to be close contacts, due to the closed setting and shared social areas and activities, aligned with the precautionary principle.”
The Associated Press reported that the Argentine government’s theory is that a Dutch couple caught the virus during a birdwatching excursion in the city of Ushuaia before embarking.
Two Argentine officials informed the news agency that the pair visited a landfill during the birdwatching trip where they may have come into contact with rodents carrying the infection.
The vessel has been moored off Cape Verde. Passengers are restricted to their cabins while “disinfection and other public health measures are carried out”, the WHO said on Tuesday. It is understood that none of the remaining passengers aboard are showing symptoms and two additional medics have been flown in to provide assistance.
The WHO said there are eight cases, three of which are confirmed.