A medic with hantavirus symptoms is being treated at a specialist London hospital as nine people potentially exposed to the virus are expected to arrive in the UK
The last passengers of the rat virus cruise ship MV Hondius were evacuated in Tenerife last week(Image: Getty Images)
A healthcare worker who displayed hantavirus symptoms on a distant British overseas territory is receiving treatment at a London hospital, as nine individuals linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak are preparing to land in the UK.
A group of nine Britons from St Helena and Ascension Island, who may have encountered hantavirus but show no symptoms, are anticipated to touch down in the UK on Sunday evening, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed.
This follows after a healthcare worker from Ascension Island was transferred to the High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust on Saturday. The medic was flown to the UK for a “specialist assessment” after showing symptoms, characterised as a “highly precautionary measure” by the UKHSA.
The MV Hondius docked in Tenerife on May 11(Image: Getty Images)
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“As there is no specialist infectious diseases unit on Ascension Island, the decision was made to bring them to the UK to ensure they receive the best possible support at a HCID unit should they become unwell,” the UKHSA said in an update on Saturday. The individual will undergo further testing and assessment at the unit.”
The group due to land on Sunday will finish their self-isolation in the UK, backed by the NHS’s High Consequence Infectious Diseases network should they fall ill, the UKHSA confirmed.
They will be transported to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, the same facility which accommodated passengers from the MV Hondius. Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the UKHSA, said: “UKHSA will continue to work with our partners locally, nationally and internationally to ensure everyone has the necessary support in place.
“We are undertaking safe repatriation of those affected by the outbreak where appropriate, incorporating medical checks and support, with the latest flight arriving tonight. We are committed to keeping these passengers and the wider population safe and will remain in close contact with them as they complete their self-isolation period.”
British passengers when they disembarked from the MV Hondius (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Saturday, one individual was discharged from Arrowe Park Hospital to finish their 45-day isolation period at home, following a clinical and public health assessment that confirmed it was safe to proceed, the UKHSA confirmed.
A further six individuals returned home from the hospital to continue their self-isolation on Thursday last week. Those isolating at home and those who remain in hospital are under close monitoring, it added.
The UKHSA announced on Friday evening that three members of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) had been dispatched to the UK overseas territories in the South Atlantic following a request for assistance from the island’s government.
The deployed team includes two microbiologists, Clara Milroy and Kimberley Steeds, who will assist with PCR testing for hantavirus as well as supporting testing to rule out other conditions, the UKHSA stated on its website. Joining them is infection prevention and control specialist Anthony Twyman, who will assist Jamestown General Hospital in preparing for and managing any potential cases through assessments and training.
An officer wearing protective gear as passengers leave the MV Hondius cruise ship(Image: Alberto Valdes/EPA/Shutterstock)
According to the agency, the three-strong team will remain on the island for the next eight weeks.
The outbreak aboard the cruise ship has resulted in at least 11 reported cases amongst passengers, with three proving fatal. Public Health Scotland issued a warning on Thursday that a small number of people in Scotland may have potentially been exposed to the virus, adding that it was working to contact “a small number of individuals” who could be affected.