Cruise ship MV Hondius infected with Hantavirus

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 authorities continue efforts to contain a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the ship.According to a BBC report, the group – which included 20 British citizens, a German citizen living in Britain and a Japanese traveler – were in isolation at Arrow Park Hospital in Merseyside after being flown back from Tenerife.Officials said all the passengers are healthy and have no symptoms, but as a precaution they will now have to continue self-isolation at home for the next 42 days.The UK Health Protection Agency (UKHSA) said public health experts will assess whether individuals can safely isolate at home or whether alternative accommodation arrangements are necessary.The passengers were staying in self-contained flats with food, medical aid and essential supplies provided by NHS and UKHSA teams.Professor Robin May, UKHSA’s chief scientific officer, said: “We want to reassure both passengers and the wider public that strong systems are in place and everyone 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 hantavirus cases – a German woman and a Dutch woman. The Dutch woman’s elderly husband also died before he could be tested.The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed six infections linked to the outbreak, including two British nationals who are currently being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa. Officials identified the Andes strain of hantavirus on the ship, one of the few types known to spread from person to person.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week there was currently “no sign” of a widespread global outbreak, but warned that more cases could still emerge.Meanwhile, 10 additional passengers and crew members are being flown 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 if symptoms developed.Elsewhere, a British man with suspected hantavirus remains in a stable condition while isolated on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic.Two more Britons who previously landed in St Helena continue voluntary self-isolation in the UK.The MV Hondias was carrying about 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries when it departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. The ship later stopped in Spain’s Canary Islands following the outbreak of the pandemic.The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said all remaining passengers have now been repatriated to their home countries.The ship is currently sailing to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with a reduced crew, medical staff and the body of a deceased passenger, where it will undergo full disinfection procedures.