A third British national has been evacuated from a cruise ship with suspected hantavirus following an outbreak on board MV Hondius, as health authorities continue to monitor cases across multiple countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now confirmed five cases in total linked to the ship, with officials warning that additional cases may emerge due to the virus’s incubation period of up to six weeks.
Three people have already died either on board or following evacuation from the vessel, which departed Argentina around a month ago.
The latest British patient remains on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, which has a population of just 221, where the ship docked in mid-April. The other two British nationals are being treated in hospitals in the Netherlands and South Africa.
Meanwhile, contact tracing is underway across several countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Singapore and the Netherlands, involving passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was identified.
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is currently en route to Granadilla port in Tenerife, where it is expected to arrive in the early hours of Sunday.
In an update issued on 7 May, Oceanwide Expeditions said three passengers evacuated from the vessel on Wednesday are still receiving medical treatment. The company added that remaining passengers on board are showing no symptoms of the virus.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said: “UK government staff will be on the ground ready to support the British nationals disembarking. British passengers and ship crew not displaying any symptoms of hantavirus will be escorted by UK government staff to an airport and given free passage back to the UK.”
Upon return to the UK, asymptomatic passengers will be asked to isolate for 45 days as a precaution.
The origin of the outbreak has yet to be established, with investigations ‘still under way’. However, Maria Van Kerkhove, a lead consultant to the WHO sought to reassure the public, saying: “I want to be unequivocal here… this is not the start of a COVID pandemic.”
Hantavirus is a rare rodent-borne disease that can cause severe respiratory illness in humans, typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their droppings. Health experts have confirmed the particular Andean strain of the virus found on the ship can spread through close human-to-human contact.
