Third British national has suspected hantavirus infection, government says

A third British national is now suspected of having a hantavirus infection associated with the outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, as confirmed by government officials.

This individual is currently located on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the vessel made a stop in mid-April.

There are two other British men with confirmed infections: one is in stable condition in the Netherlands following evacuation from the ship on Wednesday, while the other is receiving intensive care in South Africa after being airlifted there last month.

Five cases of hantavirus have been confirmed, which include one of the three passengers from the cruise who sadly passed away.

The MV Hondius is anticipated to arrive in the Canary Islands over the weekend, where it will be met by a chartered flight organized by the government to transport the remaining British passengers and crew back to the United Kingdom.

While none of the British passengers currently show symptoms, they will be required to self-isolate upon their arrival home.

One British national, Martin Anstee, a 56-year-old retired police officer and expedition guide aboard the MV Hondius, was evacuated to the Netherlands on Wednesday alongside a 41-year-old Dutch crew member and a 65-year-old German passenger.

He remains stable and has expressed that he is "fine."

Another British passenger, aged 69, has been confirmed to have the virus and was medically evacuated to South Africa at the end of April. He is currently in intensive care, but officials report that he is "doing better."

Two additional British nationals are already self-isolating at home in the UK following potential exposure. These individuals are doing so on a voluntary basis and are symptom-free.

They were part of a group of 30 individuals from various nations, including seven Britons, who disembarked the ship in St Helena in the South Atlantic on April 24, as stated by operator Oceanwide Expeditions.

The operator confirmed that the first case of hantavirus was reported on May 4, and all guests who disembarked have been notified.

Four Britons who left the vessel in St Helena remain on the island. Although they are asymptomatic, they are maintaining communication with health authorities. Medical personnel are expected to be dispatched to the islands to provide additional support.

A UK health official indicated that British passengers from the MV Hondius will likely be instructed to self-isolate for a duration of 45 days upon their return.

Contact tracing efforts are currently in progress across several countries for numerous passengers who departed the Dutch cruise ship before the outbreak was identified, including in Switzerland and the Netherlands.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the situation as a "serious incident," yet has advised that the overall risk to the public remains low, emphasizing that this outbreak is not analogous to the Covid-19 pandemic.

British people affected by hantavirus outbreak

• Three Britons are confirmed or suspected to have contracted hantavirus.
• One is being treated in the Netherlands, another is hospitalized in South Africa, and the third is located on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha.
• Seven Britons disembarked the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, prior to the identification of the first confirmed case of hantavirus on May 4, with four remaining there.
• Two of the Britons who disembarked on April 24 have already returned to the UK and are self-isolating voluntarily; they do not exhibit symptoms.
• The seventh individual has not yet been traced, according to the UKHSA.

The cause of the outbreak remains unidentified, and it is unclear if individuals outside of the cruise ship passengers and crew have contracted the virus.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated during a news briefing that the initial cases had "travelled through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay on a bird-watching expedition which included visits to areas inhabited by the species of rat known to transmit the virus."

Among the deceased was a 69-year-old Dutch woman who, after disembarking from the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, died two days later in South Africa. Her husband passed away aboard the vessel on April 11, and a German woman also died onboard, though neither of their deaths has been definitively linked to the virus.

Hantavirus primarily spreads through contact with rodents, such as mice and rats; however, experts suggest that in this instance, human-to-human transmission may have occurred due to close contact among individuals.

Symptoms associated with hantavirus can manifest as fever, extreme fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, and shortness of breath, typically emerging within two to four weeks following exposure.

The UKHSA has confirmed that the virus does not spread through routine interactions, such as in public settings, and that cases of transmission between individuals have been rare and typically require "close and prolonged" contact.