Twenty Britons from a cruise ship struck by the deadly hantavirus remain in isolation at a UK hospital, as the ship's captain commended the "patience and kindness" displayed by those on board. All 20 British nationals from the MV Hondius, along with a German who is a UK resident and a Japanese passenger, were transported to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral on Sunday after the vessel docked in Tenerife.
Arrowe Park will house the group for three days before they are allowed to return home to continue isolating for a further 42 days. Those unable to go home will be placed in alternative accommodation to complete the isolation period.
Captain Jan Dobrogowski of the MV Hondius praised both crew and passengers for their conduct during the ordeal. In a video message, he stated: "I've decided to take this time to thank every single guest and crew member on board here, as well as our colleagues back home. The past few weeks have been extremely challenging to us all. What touched me the most, what moved me the most, was your patience, your discipline, and also the kindness that you showed to each other throughout."
He continued: "I've witnessed your caring, your unity and quiet strength amongst everybody on board, guests and crew alike, and I must commend my crew for their courage and the selfless resolve they showed time and again in the most difficult moments. I cannot imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike. Most importantly, our thoughts are with the ones that are no longer with us. Whatever I say will not ease this loss. I'd like you to know they are with us every day, in our hearts and our thoughts."
French Woman Tests Positive
Meanwhile, the French government confirmed that a French woman evacuated from the cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus, and her condition worsened overnight in hospital. She was among five French passengers repatriated to France on Sunday from Tenerife, developing symptoms during the flight to Paris, officials told French media.
UK Health Officials Provide Updates
In the UK, Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the passengers at Arrowe Park would live as normal a life as possible. "They're being accommodated, if they were travelling in a family group, they're staying in that family group, and they'll be living as normal a life as they can whilst they're in hospital. During that time, we're going to be assessing them quite intensely to make sure that they are virus-free. So we're going to be PCR testing to look for any possibility of the virus, and also testing their serums, their blood samples, for the presence of any antibodies."
He explained that each individual's circumstances are different and that people are being supported to find the best place to continue isolating. "So we're assessing on a kind of case-by-case basis whether their home is the best place for them, or perhaps, if they live in a very shared accommodation, it might need to be somewhere else. And we're discussing that with them. It's going to be a very long period of time. During that period we'll be supporting very closely with ongoing testing, still checking for virus and antibodies, but also, of course, emotionally, because this is clearly not what any of them would have wished."
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he added that passengers are supported with "the day-to-day stuff... So for example, people have left many of their belongings behind so they need clothes and supplies and those kind of things and a lot of emotional support for the next period of isolation." He noted that the passengers "have been really impressive in their willingness to work with us and their willingness to continue to isolate and protect the wider public, and we're really grateful to them for that."
Understanding Hantavirus
Scientists continue to work "quite intensely" on understanding more about hantavirus, Professor May said. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What we've seen so far is the individuals who have apparently contracted it from each other, have been in very close contact. They've been sharing a cabin, for example, or had extremely close contact with someone who is strongly symptomatic. We think the virus primarily spreads only from people who have symptoms, so the risk from someone who is asymptomatic is extremely low. And if you think about the cruise ship setting, you know, this is a very close living situation so perhaps an area in which spread is more likely. It's not the same as most people's private living arrangements, and it's definitely not the same as people who might pass someone in the street, for example. So the risk there is essentially negligible."
Government Response
Public health minister Sharon Hodgson said: "I want to thank all those who have worked to bring our British nationals home and the NHS workers now caring for them at Arrowe Park Hospital – their dedication and professionalism show our NHS at its very best. None of the passengers are symptomatic but we will monitor them closely over the next 72 hours at the hospital, as part of a precautionary isolation period. With no cases or symptoms among them and our stringent monitoring and isolation measures, the risk to the public remains extremely low."
International Updates
US officials reported on Sunday that an American among the 17 being flown to Nebraska from the ship tested positive for hantavirus but has no symptoms. Overall, three people have died linked to the outbreak. One British man with hantavirus is still being cared for in Johannesburg, and another is in the Netherlands. Another British national has hantavirus and is isolating where he lives on the remote South Atlantic Island of Tristan da Cunha.
Over the weekend, six paratroopers, an RAF consultant, and an Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade were parachuted onto Tristan da Cunha to help care for him. Strict infection control measures were in place throughout the journey to Arrowe Park, with passengers, crew, drivers, and medical teams all wearing personal protective equipment such as face masks. The Arrowe Park site has six storeys of self-contained flats with their own bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, kitchen, and lounge facilities.
Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said on Sunday that Arrowe Park would carry out "welfare checks on each individual." She added that if passengers develop symptoms, they will be taken to Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which houses the regional Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit.
