A cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak remains days away from docking, as global health officials confirm that two British passengers who were medically evacuated are showing signs of improvement.
Medical Evacuations and Patient Updates
A British passenger, believed to be a 69-year-old man, was airlifted to South Africa on April 27 and is currently receiving care at a private medical facility in Sandton, Johannesburg. Another Briton, Martin Anstee, aged 56, was taken off the MV Hondius on Wednesday and flown to the Netherlands for specialist medical treatment.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from the World Health Organisation (WHO) provided an update during a press briefing, stating: "I am very happy to say the patient in South Africa is doing better, and the two patients in the Netherlands we hear are stable. So that is actually very good news." She confirmed that two patients, including a Briton, remain hospitalised in the Netherlands, while another Briton is in intensive care in South Africa.
Ship's Journey and Arrival Timeline
The MV Hondius departed the shores of Cape Verde at 6.15pm UK time on Wednesday, according to Oceanwide Expeditions. The vessel is estimated to arrive at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife in the early hours of Sunday, though this schedule remains subject to change. The Foreign Office is arranging a charter flight to repatriate the remaining Britons on board who are not displaying symptoms once the ship docks.
WHO and Health Experts on Board
The WHO confirmed that morale has improved on board since the ship began its journey to Tenerife. Two doctors are now on the vessel, along with infectious disease experts from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), who are conducting a comprehensive medical assessment of all passengers and crew.
While the risk to the public remains low, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that additional cases could emerge due to the incubation period of the Andes virus, the hantavirus variant linked to the outbreak. However, Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, director of the alert and response coordination department, stated that the WHO does not expect the outbreak to escalate into an epidemic. He referenced a similar outbreak in Argentina during 2018/19, which resulted in 34 cases.
Previous Disembarkations and Cases
Earlier reports revealed that seven British passengers disembarked from the ship mid-cruise, along with a woman who later died. A total of 29 people left the vessel when it docked at the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena, including a Dutch woman who became unwell during onward travel and subsequently died. This woman had been accompanying her husband's body, which was being repatriated after he died on the ship on April 11.
Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that all guests who disembarked have been contacted. On Wednesday, the ECDC advised that everyone on board should be considered a "close contact."
UK Health Measures
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced that two Britons who had already returned from the vessel are isolating at home. These passengers flew back to the UK via Johannesburg after disembarking in St Helena. The MV Hondius listed 19 British nationals as passengers and four British crew members.
UK health experts have instructed that British passengers on board will be required to self-isolate in the UK for 45 days. According to the UKHSA, none of the British citizens currently on board are reporting symptoms, but they remain under close monitoring. Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UKHSA, added that contact tracing is underway for anyone who may have been seated next to the two returning passengers on their flight home.
Origin of the Outbreak
The outbreak, which has been linked to three deaths, has been connected to a birdwatching expedition in Argentina that two of the passengers undertook before boarding the ship. Three individuals were taken off the vessel on Wednesday for treatment in the Netherlands, including Mr Anstee. The Associated Press reported that the Argentine government hypothesises a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a birdwatching outing in the city of Ushuaia prior to boarding.
