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A chartered flight carrying 20 British nationals evacuated from a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak has landed safely at Manchester Airport. The passengers arrived from Tenerife, where the vessel HV Hondius docked earlier on Sunday. Upon arrival in the UK, the group was transported to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, where they are undergoing a 72-hour isolation period for monitoring.
Authorities, including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), have emphasized that the risk to the wider public remains very low. None of the British nationals on the flight have reported any symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection. So far, three fatalities have been linked to the outbreak, with two confirmed cases among six individuals identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as infected with the virus. Two other British patients are receiving treatment abroad, in the Netherlands and South Africa.
Hantavirus, which is typically transmitted by rodents, rarely spreads between people. However, the Andes strain found on the Dutch cruise ship is an exception, capable of person-to-person transmission. Initially, 22 British passengers were on board the vessel when it arrived in the Canary Islands on Sunday morning. They were seen wearing blue protective suits while being taken from the port to Tenerife South Airport after undergoing testing for the virus before boarding their flight.
At Arrowe Park Hospital, the evacuees are being housed in self-contained flats with access to communication devices, allowing them to stay in touch with family and friends while maintaining isolation. Janelle Holmes, CEO of Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust, stated that the passengers will be thoroughly screened and continuously assessed during their quarantine. She also highlighted the psychological impact of the experience, noting the importance of ensuring the evacuees feel safe and welcomed. After the initial quarantine, the individuals will be required to self-isolate for an additional 42 days, with restrictions including a ban on using public transportation to return home.
Additional support is being provided by a specialist team stationed at the hospital throughout the quarantine period. The NHS trust managing Arrowe Park Hospital has assured the public that it continues to operate normally, with no increased risk to other patients, visitors, or staff members.
Elsewhere, a British man suspected of having hantavirus is currently in isolation on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha. A team consisting of six British Army paratroopers and two medical clinicians was parachuted onto the island to assist the local medical personnel—a first for the UK military in deploying humanitarian aid via parachute. Meanwhile, two other British individuals who disembarked at St Helena prior to confirmation of the virus are self-isolating at home in the UK.
The cruise ship HV Hondius began its voyage on 1 April from Ushuaia, Argentina, carrying around 150 people from 28 countries. While most passengers have disembarked and been repatriated, about 30 crew members, a nurse from the Netherlands, and the body of a passenger who died onboard remain. The ship is scheduled to sail to Rotterdam for thorough disinfection, according to WHO directives
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