Hantavirus Cases Among British Nationals on MV Hondius
The UK government has reported a third British national suspected of hantavirus infection linked to an outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius.
This patient is currently located on Tristan da Cunha, a remote island in the Atlantic, where the ship made a stop in mid-April.
Two other British men have confirmed hantavirus cases: one remains in stable condition in the Netherlands after evacuation from the ship on Wednesday, and another is in intensive care in South Africa following a medical evacuation last month.
In total, five hantavirus cases have been confirmed related to the cruise, including one of the three passengers who died during the voyage.
The MV Hondius is scheduled to dock in the Canary Islands over the weekend. The government has announced that a chartered flight will be arranged to repatriate the remaining British passengers and crew to the UK.
Although none of the remaining British nationals are currently exhibiting symptoms, they will be required to self-isolate upon their return.
British national Martin Anstee, aged 56, a retired police officer and expedition guide aboard the MV Hondius, was evacuated to the Netherlands on Wednesday along with a 41-year-old Dutch crew member and a 65-year-old German passenger.
He remains in stable condition and told the BBC he was
"fine".
Another British passenger, aged 69, with a confirmed hantavirus case was medically evacuated to South Africa at the end of April. He remains in intensive care but officials have stated he is
"doing better".
Two other British nationals are self-isolating at home in the UK after potential exposure. They are asymptomatic and are voluntarily isolating.
These individuals were part of a group of 30 people from approximately a dozen countries, including seven Britons, who disembarked the ship at St Helena in the South Atlantic on 24 April, according to Oceanwide Expeditions, the cruise operator.
The operator reported that the first confirmed hantavirus case was identified on 4 May and that all guests who disembarked had been contacted.
Four British nationals who disembarked at St Helena remain on the island. They do not have symptoms but are maintaining contact with health authorities. Medical personnel are expected to be dispatched to provide support.
A UK health official indicated that British passengers from the MV Hondius will likely be required to self-isolate for 45 days upon their return to the UK.
Contact tracing efforts are ongoing in several countries, including Switzerland and the Netherlands, for dozens of passengers who left the Dutch cruise ship prior to the outbreak being detected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the situation as a
"serious incident"but emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low, clarifying that the outbreak is not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic.
British People Affected by the Hantavirus Outbreak
The source of the outbreak remains unknown, and it is unclear if individuals beyond the cruise ship passengers and crew have been infected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated at a news conference that the first two cases had
"travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip which included visits to sites where the species of rat known to carry the virus was present".
Among the fatalities, a 69-year-old Dutch woman died two days after leaving the MV Hondius at St Helena and traveling to South Africa. Her husband died onboard the vessel on 11 April, and a German woman also died onboard; however, neither of these two deaths has been confirmed as due to hantavirus.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted by rodents such as mice and rats, but experts believe that in this outbreak, human-to-human transmission may have occurred among individuals in close contact.
Symptoms of hantavirus infection can include fever, extreme fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, and shortness of breath, usually manifesting two to four weeks after exposure.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has stated that the virus is not spread through casual contact such as walking in public spaces. In rare cases of person-to-person transmission, contact has been
"close and prolonged".
Individuals who were on the ship or know someone who was are encouraged to get in touch using the provided contact link or form.
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