Hantavirus cruise passengers set to leave UK hospital to self-isolate

Twenty-two people evacuated from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship are set to start leaving quarantine in the UK on Wednesday to self-isolate.

The passengers and crew will have spent 72 hours isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside and will be expected to self-isolate for a further 42 days at home or in other accommodation.

They include 20 British nationals, a German national who is a UK resident, and a Japanese passenger.

The MV Hondius is now on its way to the Netherlands. / Credit: AP

Ten other passengers from the UK overseas territories of St Helena and Ascension Island are being “brought to the UK to complete their self-isolation as a precautionary measure”, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

Officials said these people had been in contact with those affected by the outbreak and that none of them is currently symptomatic.

The UKHSA said the relocation is “of some contacts who are already isolating, to places where they can safely self-isolate with access to appropriate specialist medical services”.

“This is because England’s NHS high-consequence infectious disease network is well equipped to respond if they become unwell,” the agency added.

Medics in hazmat suits escorting a patient from the MV Hondius cruise ship last week. / Credit: AP

“Currently, none of these contacts are symptomatic and this is precautionary to support communities in UK overseas territories. We will set out where they will isolate in due course.”

All of the passengers of the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship had disembarked and left Tenerife earlier on Tuesday, with flights to more than 20 countries and dozens in quarantine.

A French woman became the latest to be confirmed as infected, while an American was suspected of infection after initial testing.

Passengers began flying home aboard military and government planes on Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands.

Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travellers from the ship to shore in Tenerife and onto an airport, with the final flight departing on Monday.

“If they stayed longer on the ship, the situation could have been difficult,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.

He said citizens of the countries that passengers are returning to should know “there is nothing to fear, the risk is low, this is not another Covid.”

Three cruise ship passengers have died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the WHO.

The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said on Monday.

The ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, issued a video message Monday praising passengers and crew for their courage and perseverance. He also called for respect for their privacy.

“I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike,” he said.

Meanwhile, the MV Hondius has departed the Canary Islands on route to Rotterdam and is expected to arrive on Sunday. It still has 25 members of the crew and two medical professionals on board.