Two Britons who were medically evacuated from a cruise ship affected by hantavirus are showing signs of improvement, global health officials have confirmed. A British passenger, understood to be a 69-year-old man, was taken to South Africa on 27 April and is receiving care at a private health facility in Sandton, Johannesburg. Another Briton, Martin Anstee, 56, an expedition guide, was removed from the MV Hondius on Wednesday and flown to the Netherlands for specialist medical treatment.
WHO Reports Positive Progress
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from the World Health Organization (WHO) stated during a press briefing that the patient in South Africa is doing better, while the two patients in the Netherlands are stable. As of Thursday, there are eight suspected cases, with five confirmed as hantavirus through laboratory tests. Hantavirus is a rare family of viruses carried by rodents.
The outbreak, which has been linked to three deaths, is connected to a birdwatching trip to Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay that two passengers undertook before boarding the ship. Spanish authorities have granted permission for the vessel to anchor in the Canary Islands, despite local concerns. The ship departed from Cape Verde on Wednesday afternoon and is expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife early on Sunday.
Morale and Medical Response
Morale on board has improved since the ship began its journey to Tenerife. Two doctors, along with infectious disease experts from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, are conducting medical assessments of everyone on board. While the public health risk is considered low, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that more cases could emerge due to the Andes virus incubation period, which can extend up to six weeks.
Dr Tedros stated, 'While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low.' He thanked the ship's operator for its cooperation and acknowledged the difficult situation faced by passengers and crew. The WHO does not anticipate the outbreak becoming an epidemic, citing a similar outbreak in Argentina in 2018-19 that resulted in 34 cases.
Passenger Details and Contact Tracing
Seven British nationals were among 30 people from 12 countries who left the ship when it docked at the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. This group included a Dutch woman who became unwell during onward travel and later died. She had been accompanying her husband's body, who died on the ship on 11 April. On Thursday, a flight attendant in Amsterdam who had contact with the deceased woman reported potential symptoms.
Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that guests who disembarked have been contacted. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been asked whether it has communicated with all seven Britons who left the ship on 24 April. Previously, the UKHSA announced that two Britons who returned from the vessel are self-isolating at home without symptoms. Contact tracing is underway for anyone who may have sat next to them on the flight home.
Nineteen British nationals were listed as passengers on the MV Hondius, which sailed from Argentina to Cape Verde, along with four British crew members. UK health experts have recommended that British passengers on board self-isolate for 45 days upon return to the UK. Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at UKHSA, stated, 'For the broader public, not directly involved in this cruise ship, the risk here is really negligible.'
Repatriation Efforts
The Foreign Office is arranging a charter flight to repatriate the remaining Britons on board who are not showing symptoms once the ship docks in Tenerife. According to UKHSA, none of the British citizens on board are currently reporting symptoms, but they are being closely monitored. Professor May noted that the incubation period for hantavirus could be up to eight weeks in extreme cases, but the general recommendation is isolation for six weeks, or 45 days.
Three people were taken off the ship on Wednesday for treatment in the Netherlands, including Martin Anstee, a former police officer and expedition guide. Speaking from hospital, Anstee told Sky News: 'I'm doing OK. I'm not feeling too bad. There are still lots of tests to be done. I have no idea how long I'll be in the hospital for. I'm in isolation at the moment.'
