Seven British nationals were among 30 passengers who left the MV Hondius cruise ship in St Helena on April 24, following the death of a passenger on board, according to new information released by the ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions. The first death occurred on April 11, and the wife of the deceased later tested positive for hantavirus and died after flying to South Africa.
The status of five of the seven Brits remains unknown, while two are in isolation in the UK. Three passengers have now died in the suspected hantavirus outbreak. One Briton remains in intensive care in South Africa after testing positive, and another, former police officer and expedition guide Martin Anstee, 56, is receiving treatment in Amsterdam and is said to be stable.
Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that 114 guests boarded the ship in Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1. The first confirmed hantavirus case was not reported until May 4. The ship left Cape Verde on Wednesday evening and is sailing for Granadilla in Tenerife, a journey expected to take three to four days. No symptomatic individuals are currently on board.
Martin Anstee, who described the voyage as a “trip of a lifetime,” told Sky News he is “doing okay” and awaiting further tests in isolation. He was part of the guide team and had planned to photograph wildlife on Tristan da Cunha, St Helena, and the Cape Verde islands. Authorities in South Africa and Europe are tracing contacts of passengers who disembarked.
