Britons on virus-hit cruise ship to isolate at hospital after being flown to UK

Reuters

British passengers and staff aboard a cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak will be brought to a UK hospital site to isolate.

Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, was notably used as the UK's quarantine site at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MV Hondius is expected to dock in the Canary Islands this weekend, with the remaining 22 Britons on board due to fly home on a charter flight soon after.

Five cases of hantavirus have so far been confirmed, including one of the three passengers who have died during a cruise on the Dutch vessel.

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Two British men with confirmed cases of the disease are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa, while a third Briton is being treated for a suspected case on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the ship stopped in mid-April.

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A joint statement has been issued by NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service and Wirral Council.

It read: "Organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside are working closely with colleagues from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other government bodies to support the repatriation of passengers from MV Hondius.

"In line with advice from the UKHSA, on arrival they will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing.

"We expect this initial stay to be up to 72 hours.

"Following this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements.

"The risk to the general population remains very low.

"Our partner organisations are working together to ensure that all returning passengers are welcomed, comfortable and well supported throughout their stay.

"We would like to thank our staff and partners across the NHS, emergency services and local government for their professionalism and dedication in co-ordinating this response, and we will continue to work closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other partners throughout."

'Outbreak origins unknown'

The World Health Organization (WHO) called it a "serious incident" but said the risk to the public was low, stressing the outbreak was not similar to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It said on Saturday that there were currently no symptomatic passengers on board the ship.

The origin of the outbreak is still unknown.

Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents such as mice and rats, but experts believe that in this circumstance it may have passed between humans who were in close contact.

Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, stomach pain, vomiting and shortness of breath, usually appearing between two to four weeks of being exposed to the virus.

The UKHSA said the virus was not spread through everyday contact such as walking in public spaces and that in the rare instances where a person has caught it from another person, they have had "close and prolonged" contact.

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