Hantavirus Testing Under Way for UK Passengers from Cruise Ship

Clinical assessments and testing of passengers who were on board the MV Hondius are well under way at a Merseyside hospital after they were evacuated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship, health officials have said. The passengers, which include 20 British nationals, a German national who is a UK resident and a Japanese passenger, are more than 24 hours into a 72-hour isolation period at Arrowe Park Hospital.

Officials said the evacuees were healthy and asymptomatic. Once discharged, they will be asked to self-isolate for up to 45 days. Three people have died following the outbreak on the cruise ship, two of whom were confirmed to have the virus. They include an elderly Dutch man, who died before he could be tested, and his wife, who died after disembarking.

A German woman also died on board the ship.

Ghebreyesus said work to contain hantavirus after the cruise ship outbreak was not over. He said there is no sign that a larger outbreak is starting but added that, given the long incubation period of the virus, it is possible more cases might be seen in the coming weeks.

During a press briefing, he said some of the passengers were facing mental breakdown after being on board the ship for weeks in what must have been a very frightening situation. The WHO's view was that to keep people on board the ship during the quarantine period would have been inhumane and unnecessary.

Eighty-seven passengers of the Dutch MV Hondius, which was docked in Spain's Canary Islands, have been repatriated over the past few days, the ship's operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. The group isolating at Arrowe Park were flown to Manchester from Tenerife on Sunday.

An initial 72-hour hospital isolation period is due to end on Wednesday. Public health and infectious disease specialists will assess whether the individuals are then able to self-isolate at home for up to 45 days, or whether another location should be arranged.

They are currently staying in flats, with food and other essentials provided, alongside ongoing care from UKHSA and NHS teams. Two British nationals have also returned home on repatriation flights to the United States, while another British national is due to return to Australia, the UKHSA said.

Another two British nationals with confirmed cases are currently being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa. Two more Britons are continuing to voluntarily self-isolate at home in the UK, having disembarked the vessel at St Helena on 24 April alongside dozens of other passengers before the first case of hantavirus was confirmed.

MV Hondius began its journey on 1 April in Ushuaia, Argentina, with about 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries reported to have initially been onboard. The ship's operator Oceanwide Expeditions said all guests who were still on board when the outbreak was confirmed have now been repatriated to their home countries.

It added that the ship was heading to the Netherlands with 25 crew members and two medical professionals on board, as well as the body of the German passenger who passed away.