Passengers on hantavirus cruise ship ‘were told vessel was not infectious’; two passengers now self-isolating in UK

Three more cases have been confirmed on the vessel and five more are suspected. The UK Health Security Agency said it is helping to trace people who may have been on the same flight as a confirmed case. Two people who returned to the UK after being on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak are self-isolating as a British crew member said he was “doing OK” in hospital. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said neither of the people self-isolating in the UK who were on board MV Hondius are reporting symptoms and that a number of close contacts of those on the boat are being “offered support and are also self-isolating”. The health authority said it is also helping to trace people who may have been on the same flight as a confirmed case. It said that it is preparing for the arrival of British nationals to the UK from the Dutch-flagged ship. Health officials said once the ship docks in Tenerife the remaining British nationals can be repatriated if they do not develop symptoms. “None of the British citizens on board are currently reporting symptoms but they are being closely monitored,” the UKHSA said in a statement. It stressed that the risk to the general public “remains very low”. British crew member Martin Anstee, 56, was among those evacuated from the ship. The expedition guide and former police officer was flown to receive specialist medical care in the Netherlands after being airlifted off the vessel. Speaking from hospital, Mr 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.” His wife Nicola told the Telegraph it had been “a very traumatic few days”. She added: “He’s relieved to be off the ship. He had it quite mild then it got a bit more serious and now he’s stable again. The fear with this virus is it can deteriorate very quickly so it’s been a bit up and down for him. I don’t believe he’s in imminent danger now but it was horrible.” Dr Meera Chand, deputy director for epidemic and emerging infections at UKHSA, said: “It’s important to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains very low. We are standing up arrangements to support, isolate and monitor British nationals from the ship on their return to the UK and we are contact-tracing anyone who may have been in contact with the ship or the hantavirus cases to limit the risk of onward transmission.” The outbreak, which has been linked to three deaths, has been connected to a birdwatching expedition in Argentina which two of the passengers went on before boarding the ship. Some 19 British nationals were listed as passengers on the cruise, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, with four British crew members. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Foreign Office is “working urgently” to help get Britons “safely home with proper protection for public health”. Health Secretary Wes Streeting added: “The outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius will be worrying many. The government are taking this incredibly seriously and are working urgently to support the British nationals involved.” The evacuation means the ship can now continue on its three-day journey to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities gave permission for the boat to dock. But a row erupted after the president of the Canary Islands expressed concern over the ship docking in Tenerife. Health workers in protective gear evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship at a port in Praia, Cape Verde. The Associated Press reported the Argentine government’s hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a birdwatching outing in the city of Ushuaia before boarding. What is Hantavirus? Two Argentine officials told the news agency that the couple visited a landfill during the birdwatching tour where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection. The ship has been anchored off Cape Verde. Passengers are confined to their cabins while “disinfection and other public health measures are carried out”, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday. It is understood that none of the remaining passengers on board have symptoms and two extra medics have been flown in to assist. The WHO said there are eight cases, three of which are confirmed. Meanwhile, the Telegraph today reports that crew on board an exploration ship infested with a rat-borne virus initially told passengers the vessel was not infectious. A video shared by a Turkish YouTuber who claims to have been on board the Dutch-flagged ship appears to show a crew member seeking to reassure passengers that there was no danger. “One of our passengers suddenly passed away last night,” he said, adding: “I am told by the doctor we’re not infectious. The ship is safe when it comes to this.” Hanta, a rare virus with a fatality of 1pc to 15pc in Asia and up to 50pc in the Americas, is typically spread from the contaminated urine, droppings and saliva of infected rodents.