A British national is among six individuals who arrived at a remote quarantine facility in Australia on Thursday after sailing on a cruise ship affected by hantavirus. The Australian government organized a flight from the Netherlands carrying four Australian citizens, one UK citizen, and one New Zealander, all evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Passengers in Good Health
Health Minister Mark Butler confirmed that the six passengers are in good health, show no symptoms, and recently tested negative for the virus. They will remain in quarantine for at least three weeks at the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience, a 500-bed facility in Perth, Western Australia. The group wore heavy personal protective equipment (PPE) during the flight to an air force base in Perth.
Butler stated, "This is one of the strongest quarantine arrangements in response to this hantavirus outbreak you will find anywhere in the world. They will be subject to testing when they arrive in Australia, and they will be in full PPE during the duration of the flight, so there is no risk of transmission." He did not provide further details about the passengers or the plane's refueling stops.
Incubation Period Concerns
The government has yet to determine how to handle the passengers' isolation after the initial three-week quarantine, given the virus's potential incubation period of up to 42 days, Butler added.
British Man Quarantined in Milan
In a related case, a British man in his 60s was quarantined in Milan over hantavirus fears, despite having no symptoms. He was taken from his bed and breakfast and will remain locked up for a month. Officials in Milan were alerted by the UK Ministry of Health and traced the man and a 50-year-old companion to their B&B late Tuesday night. Both tested negative for hantavirus, but the older man is deemed a "close contact" of Dutch woman Mirijam Schilperood, who died from the virus after being on the MV Hondius.
Schilperood, who had been on a flight from St Helena to Johannesburg, was seated in 13C; a subsequent positive hantavirus case sat in 14B, while the British passenger was in 15F. The British man then traveled to Italy, visiting Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Cinque Terre. Schilperood's husband Leon also died on the ship; the couple is believed to have contracted the Andes virus strain in southern Argentina.
Quarantine Details
Guido Bertolaso of the Lombardy health department said both men were identified at their B&B after details were provided by British authorities. Neither shows symptoms, and both tested negative, but the older man will remain in quarantine in Italy until June 6. The younger man is allowed to return home. The older man will stay in a hospital or other site, as the B&B is inadequate for quarantine.
The UK government notified Italian authorities about the British tourist, who had visited Amsterdam before arriving in Milan. Because he had no private accommodation, he will quarantine in a single room in the Infectious Diseases ward of the hospital.
Britons from South Atlantic Islands to Be Brought to UK
Ten Britons from South Atlantic islands linked to the cruise ship outbreak are set to be brought to the UK, officials have revealed. The group, residents of the UK overseas territories of Saint Helena and Ascension Island, are being flown to Britain to complete self-isolation. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the total includes four individuals on Saint Helena who were on the cruise ship and six close contacts on Ascension Island. None are symptomatic, and their final destination in Britain is unknown. The move is described as "precautionary to support communities in UK overseas territories." Once in Britain, they will have access to NHS infectious disease specialists.
Twenty British nationals from the MV Hondius, along with a German UK resident and a Japanese passenger, who have been isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral in Merseyside, are preparing to leave. They were taken there on Sunday night after the ship docked in Tenerife for a three-day isolation and assessment period. They will isolate for another 42 days at home. The UKHSA said tailored support packages will be provided to enable people to isolate safely, with daily contact throughout the isolation period.
