Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship: Expert Reassures Public
A medical chief has clarified the risk of hantavirus to the public as Brits self-isolate. This comes after three people died following the outbreak on a cruise ship anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. The MV Hondius cruise ship is currently docked at a port in Praia, Cape Verde.
Third British National Diagnosed with Suspected Hantavirus
A third British national has been diagnosed with suspected hantavirus linked to the cruise ship outbreak, health officials have confirmed. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported that two British nationals have confirmed hantavirus, but there is now an additional suspected case of a British national on Tristan da Cunha. The patient remains on the remote South Atlantic island, while the other two British nationals are hospitalized in the Netherlands and South Africa.
What is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus is normally carried by rodents. British passengers on board the cruise ship will be asked to self-isolate in the UK for 45 days, a health official has suggested. Two Brits who already returned from the vessel continue to isolate at home.
Risk to the General Public is Negligible
Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UKHSA, stated: “For the broader public, not directly involved in this cruise ship, the risk here is really negligible.” He explained that the “most extreme case of incubation” of hantavirus “may be up to eight weeks,” but general consensus suggests people need to isolate for “probably six weeks, and so that’s the period of isolation, 45 days that we’re likely to be recommending.”
Repatriation and Self-Isolation Plans
Professor May added: “For the individuals that are on the ship at the moment, we’re working obviously to repatriate them as soon as we possibly can. The Foreign Office is leading on that, and once they’re back, they’re going to be asked to self-isolate. We’ll continue to support them and their families whilst they self-isolate, probably at home, but obviously depends very much on the individual circumstances, depending on where they live and who they live with, as to what the most appropriate mechanism is for them to self-isolate for the next 45 days.”
