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An outbreak of hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has led to British passengers and crew members being tested prior to their return to the UK. The vessel is scheduled to arrive at the Canary Islands this weekend, where the remaining 22 British nationals onboard will soon be flown back home on a charter plane.
At present, two British men diagnosed with hantavirus are receiving medical care—one in the Netherlands and another in South Africa. Additionally, a third British individual with a suspected case is undergoing treatment on Tristan da Cunha, a remote island in the Atlantic where the ship made a stop in mid-April. In preparation for the ship’s arrival in Tenerife on Sunday, government authorities have finalized plans to repatriate the British citizens.
Upon docking, Spanish health officials will conduct onboard testing of all passengers and crew for hantavirus. Those exhibiting symptoms will be admitted to local hospitals, while asymptomatic individuals will be immediately transported by plane back to the UK, likely on the same day. Although none of the remaining Britons currently show symptoms, they will be advised to self-isolate and perform self-testing over a 45-day period after their return. This isolation will be encouraged but not legally mandated, and medical support will be provided to facilitate blood tests.
Among the British affected, one passenger who was medically evacuated to South Africa remains in intensive care but is reportedly improving. Another patient, treated in the Netherlands, is in stable condition and described himself as “fine” to the BBC. Two Britons who disembarked earlier on 24 April in St Helena have been voluntarily self-isolating in the UK despite having no symptoms, while four others remain on St Helena in contact with health officials. To aid the situation, a military flight carrying medical supplies including testing kits and oxygen has arrived at Ascension Island, with personnel expected to support St Helena and Tristan da Cunha.
Authorities across various countries are conducting contact tracing for passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was identified, including those in Switzerland and the Netherlands. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the event as a “serious incident” but emphasized the public risk remains low and warned that this outbreak is unlike the Covid-19 pandemic. The precise origin of the hantavirus outbreak remains unclear, and there are no confirmed cases beyond those directly linked to the cruise ship passengers and crew.
WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus noted that the initial two confirmed cases had traveled on a bird-watching trip through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, visiting locations inhabited by rats known to carry hantavirus. Three fatalities are associated with this incident, including a Dutch woman who disembarked in St Helena and died in South Africa two days later. Two others—a husband who died onboard earlier in April, and a German woman who also passed away on the ship—have not been confirmed to have contracted the virus. Hantavirus is typically transmitted from rodents like mice and rats, though experts suggest human-to-human transmission may have occurred in this close-contact setting. Symptoms often appear within two to four weeks after exposure and can include fever, severe fatigue, stomach pain, vomiting, and breathing difficulties. The UK Health Security Agency has clarified that spread through casual public contact is highly unlikely, and transmission generally requires prolonged close contact with an infected person
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