The cruise ship MV Hondius affected by the Hanta virus
Passengers evacuated from the virus-hit Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius are set to begin leaving a specialist isolation facility in the UK after completing an initial 72-hour quarantine period, as health officials continue their efforts to contain a rare Hantavirus outbreak linked to the ship.According to a BBC report, the group – which includes 20 British nationals, a German national residing in the UK and a Japanese passenger – was isolated at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside after being repatriated from Tenerife.Authorities said all passengers remain healthy and asymptomatic, but will now be asked to continue self-isolation at home for another 42 days as a precaution.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said public health professionals will assess whether individuals can safely isolate at home or whether alternative accommodation arrangements are necessary.Passengers were staying in self-contained apartments with food, medical support and essential supplies provided by NHS and UKHSA teams.Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UKHSA, said: “We want to reassure passengers and the wider public that robust arrangements are in place, and that all involved will be looked after every step of the way.”The outbreak on the expedition cruise ship has so far been linked to three deaths, including two confirmed cases of Hantavirus – a German woman and a Dutch woman.
The Dutch woman’s elderly husband also died before the test could be done.The World Health Organization has confirmed six cases of infection linked to the outbreak, including two British citizens currently being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa. Officials identified the Andean Hantavirus strain on the plane, one of the few strains known to spread from person to person.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week that there was “no indication” of a broader global outbreak at present, but warned that more cases could still emerge.Meanwhile, an additional 10 passengers and crew are being transferred to the UK from the British territories of St Helena and Ascension Island as a precaution. The UKHSA said England’s health system was “well equipped” to manage any potential cases should symptoms develop.Elsewhere, a British man suspected of being infected with the Hanta virus remains in stable condition while isolated on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic.Two other Britons who had earlier landed in St Helena continue voluntary self-isolation in the UK.The MV Hondius had about 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries on board when it departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. The ship later docked in Spain’s Canary Islands after the outbreak emerged.Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s operator, said all remaining passengers have now been returned to their home countries.The ship is currently sailing to Rotterdam in the Netherlands with a reduced crew, medical staff and the body of a deceased passenger on board, where it will undergo full disinfection procedures.
