A third British individual is now under suspicion of having contracted the hantavirus, following an alarming outbreak on a cruise ship.
The patient is currently located on the remote Tristan da Cunha island in the Atlantic, where the MV Hondius made a stop in mid-April, as confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency.
Two other British citizens have already been diagnosed with the illness. Among them is Martin Anstee, a 56-year-old former police officer and expedition guide, who was evacuated from the ship on Wednesday. He is currently in stable condition under medical care in the Netherlands.
He was evacuated alongside a 41-year-old Dutch crew member and a 65-year-old German individual.
The second British patient, a 69-year-old man, remains in intensive care after being airlifted to Johannesburg at the end of April.
Out of the eight suspected hantavirus cases from the ship, five have been confirmed, including one of the three passengers who passed away.
The ship is set to dock in Tenerife on Sunday, where UK government personnel will be present to assist British nationals disembarking, according to the UKHSA.
Individuals aboard the ship who do not show any symptoms of the disease will be escorted to an airport and provided with complimentary transportation back to the UK.
Although no British citizens on board have reported any symptoms at present, they will be required to self-isolate upon their return home.
The UK Foreign Office has cautioned British tourists about the emerging health risk of hantavirus in Argentina.
Investigations suggest that the Dutch couple, who were the initial cases on the cruise ship and subsequently passed away, may have contracted the virus during a bird-watching expedition across Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before boarding the ship.
The ship set sail from Argentina, with ongoing investigations focusing on determining the source of the outbreak there.