A total of eight cases have been reported, the WHO has said (Image: Getty)
British passengers and crew aboard the hantavirus-hit cruise ship will be taken to a hospital in Merseyside for an initial isolation period and medical checks upon their return to the UK. The MV Hondius is expected to dock in Tenerife in the Canary Islands this weekend. More than 20 remaining British nationals are expected to fly back to the UK on a charter flight shortly after.
Upon their return to the UK, British passengers and crew from the cruise ship affected by the hantavirus will undergo an isolation period and medical examinations at a hospital in Merseyside. The MV Hondius, the vessel in question, is scheduled to dock in Tenerife within the Canary Islands this weekend. Over 20 British nationals who remain onboard are expected to take a charter flight back to the UK shortly thereafter.
Once in the UK, these individuals will be transferred to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral. This facility previously served as a quarantine center for British citizens returning from Wuhan, China, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The World Health Organization has reported that as of May 8, there have been eight recorded hantavirus cases, including three fatalities. Out of these, six cases have been confirmed as hantavirus infections caused by the Andes virus (ANDV). On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed that two British nationals have tested positive for the infection, with an additional suspected case under investigation. Although no passengers currently aboard the ship are exhibiting symptoms, they are under vigilant observation.
The ship is expected to dock in Tenerife this weekend (Image: Getty)
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The contact tracing and support are already under way for others who previously disembarked. Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at UKHSA, stressed the risk to the general public remains “very low.”
Efforts for contact tracing and support are already in progress for those who disembarked earlier. Professor Robin May, the chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has emphasized that the threat to the general public remains “very low.”
According to the Liverpool Echo, a message was sent to staff members from the Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust on Saturday, detailing preparations to accommodate the returning passengers linked to the MV Hondius outbreak.
“The plan is for the British passengers and ship crew not displaying any symptoms of hantavirus to be escorted by UK Government staff and given free passage back to the UK, and as a precaution, they will remain in isolation.
“We have been asked to house these residents (around 24) as our guests in the accommodation block on the Arrowe Park hospital site to provide them with a safe place for their isolation period.
“We have been asked by NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to house the guests, recognising how quickly and positively we responded to and supported the repatriation of British nationals from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Joint chief executive for Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Janelle Holmes, said the British nationals will be transferred to the Arrowe Park site this Sunday and undergo symptom screening prior to arrival on site.
“Nobody showing any symptoms will be transferred here. If anyone becomes unwell after arrival, they will be transferred quickly to another facility.
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“We do not anticipate there will be any impact on the delivery of Trust services or staff delivering services. Our role is to provide a safe place for the residents to isolate.
“The risk to the general population remains very low, and the public can be reassured that the established infection control measures will be put in place at every step of the journey to ensure the safe repatriation of British passengers on board.”
A joint statement issued by NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service and Wirral Council reads: “In line with advice from the UK Health Security Agency, 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 coordinating this response, and we will continue to work closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other partners throughout.”
