UK health authorities have confirmed a third suspected case of hantavirus linked to a cruise ship outbreak. Two British nationals have tested positive, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Friday, with the latest suspected infection identified on a remote South Atlantic island.
The suspected case involves a British national on Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory roughly midway between South America and Africa. The individual was a passenger on the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship that has been at the center of a multi-country health response since early May. The UKHSA did not release further details about the third case, saying only that an assessment is underway.
Two British nationals — already confirmed as infected — are receiving hospital treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa. One is a 69-year-old man under intensive care at a private facility in Sandton, Johannesburg. The other is Martin Anstee, 56, who was evacuated from the ship on Wednesday and flown to the Netherlands. Both are reported to be in stable condition.
Three passengers have died since the outbreak began. A German national and a Dutch couple died after contracting the virus during the voyage from Argentina to Cape Verde. The World Health Organization said that as of May 4, seven cases — two confirmed and five suspected — had been identified, including the three deaths.
The MV Hondius, owned by Oceanwide Expeditions, had 147 passengers and crew on board from 23 countries when the outbreak was reported. It is expected to dock in Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday. British government staff will be on the ground when the ship arrives. Asymptomatic British passengers and crew will be escorted to an airport and flown back to the UK on a dedicated charter flight, arranged by the Foreign Office.
All British nationals returning from the ship will be required to isolate for 45 days. UKHSA and NHS public health specialists will travel on the repatriation flight to monitor passengers and ensure infection control protocols are followed. The agency said contact tracing is already underway for anyone who may have been exposed to the confirmed or suspected cases.
Seven British passengers left the ship when it docked at St Helena, another British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, on April 24. Two returned to the UK and are self-isolating at home. Neither has reported symptoms. Four remain on St Helena, and a seventh person has been traced outside the UK.
The WHO has assessed the risk to the general public as low. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic management, noted that hantavirus is very different from the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is not the same situation we were in six years ago,” she said.
Hantavirus is a rare but severe disease carried by rodents. People typically get infected through contact with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. The strain linked to this outbreak is the Andes virus, which can, in rare cases, spread from person to person through close contact. Health officials in several countries are now tracking passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was detected. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is monitoring returning travelers but assessed the risk to the American public as extremely low. Health departments in Georgia, Arizona, California, and Texas have identified individuals linked to the voyage.
The UKHSA is working with the WHO, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and governments in the region to manage the response. Dr. Meera Chand, deputy director for epidemic and emerging infections at the UKHSA, said: “It’s important to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains very low.”