The UK has deployed a rapid response mobile laboratory to a remote island where a hantavirus outbreak occurred on a cruise ship, according to health officials.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced that three members of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) have been sent to St Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic in response to a request for assistance from the island’s government.
Ten individuals from the South Atlantic islands linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak are being transported to the UK as a precautionary measure for self-isolation, the UKHSA confirmed.
The team sent to the island includes two microbiologists, Clara Milroy and Kimberley Steeds, who will conduct PCR testing for hantavirus and support testing for other potential conditions. They are joined by infection prevention and control specialist Anthony Twyman, who will assist Jamestown General Hospital in readiness and response efforts. The team is scheduled to stay on the island for eight weeks.
Dr. Edmund Newman, director of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, emphasized the agency’s dedication to swift responses to health emergencies globally and its collaboration with international partners to safeguard public health.
The hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship has led to 11 confirmed cases among passengers, with three fatalities. Public Health Scotland warned of potential exposure in Scotland and is actively contacting individuals who may have been at risk.
Currently, approximately 20 individuals from the UK are isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside. Health authorities are prepared for additional cases.
The World Health Organization clarified that the hantavirus is not comparable to Covid-19. WHO’s director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, mentioned the expectation of more cases due to the virus’s extended incubation period.
He cautioned that although there is no indication of a widespread outbreak starting, the situation may evolve, and more cases could surface in the following weeks.