British individuals and crew members on board the MV Hondius will undergo testing for hantavirus before heading back to the UK following an outbreak on the ship. The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Tenerife soon, with 22 Britons set to return via a charter flight shortly after. Five cases of hantavirus have been confirmed on the cruise, one of which has been linked to the deaths of three passengers.
Currently, two British men with confirmed hantavirus infections are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa, while another Briton with a suspected case is being cared for on Tristan da Cunha, a stop the ship made in April. UK authorities have made arrangements to repatriate British citizens before the ship’s arrival. Spanish health officials will conduct testing on passengers and crew upon docking, with symptomatic individuals to be hospitalized and asymptomatic ones to be flown back to the UK promptly.
Although no other Britons on board are displaying symptoms at present, they will be advised to self-isolate and undergo regular testing for 45 days upon return to the UK. Isolation will be voluntary, with medical professionals available for blood tests and assistance.
One of the evacuated passengers, Martin Anstee, a 56-year-old expedition guide and former police officer, is in stable condition after being airlifted to the Netherlands. Another British passenger, aged 69, who tested positive for hantavirus was evacuated to South Africa and remains in intensive care but is showing signs of improvement.
Additionally, two other British nationals are voluntarily isolating at home in the UK due to potential exposure to the virus. They are currently asymptomatic. Among the passengers who disembarked on St Helena on April 24 were 30 individuals from various countries, including seven Britons, as reported by Oceanwide Expeditions. The company stated that the first confirmed hantavirus case was identified on May 4 and that all former passengers have been contacted.
Four Britons who disembarked on St Helena remain on the island and are in contact with health authorities, with further medical support expected to be provided. A military aircraft carrying testing kits, oxygen supplies, and medical equipment has arrived at Ascension Island, with medical teams planning to transport the supplies to St Helena and Tristan da Cunha.
Health authorities in multiple countries are conducting contact tracing for passengers who left the ship before the outbreak was detected, including Switzerland and the Netherlands. The World Health Organization has labeled the outbreak as a “serious incident” but stated that the overall risk to the general public is low, emphasizing that the situation is not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic.