A medic who developed hantavirus symptoms on a remote British overseas territory is being cared for in a London hospital, as nine people connected to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak are set to arrive in the UK.
A group of nine Britons from St Helena and Ascension Island, who may have been exposed to hantavirus but do not have symptoms, are expected to arrive in the UK on Sunday evening, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
It comes after a medic from Ascension Island was taken to the High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit in Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust on Saturday.
The medic was brought to the UK for a “specialist assessment” after developing symptoms, described as a “highly precautionary measure” by the UKHSA.
“As there is no specialist infectious diseases unit on Ascension Island, the decision was made to bring them to the UK to ensure they receive the best possible support at a HCID unit should they become unwell,” the UKHSA said in an update on Saturday.
“The individual will undergo further testing and assessment at the unit.”
The group expected to arrive on Sunday will complete their self-isolation in the UK, supported by the NHS’s High Consequence Infectious Diseases network if they become unwell, the UKHSA said.
They will be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, the same facility which housed passengers from the MV Hondius.
Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the UKHSA, said: “UKHSA will continue to work with our partners locally, nationally and internationally to ensure everyone has the necessary support in place.
“We are undertaking safe repatriation of those affected by the outbreak where appropriate, incorporating medical checks and support, with the latest flight arriving tonight.
“We are committed to keeping these passengers and the wider population safe and will remain in close contact with them as they complete their self-isolation period.”
On Saturday, one person left Arrowe Park Hospital to complete their 45-day isolation period at home, after a clinical and public health assessment deemed it safe for them to do so, the UKHSA said.
A further six people returned home from the hospital to continue their self-isolation on Thursday last week.
The people isolating at home and those who remain in hospital are being closely monitored, it added.
The UKHSA said on Friday evening that three team members of the the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) had been sent to the UK overseas territories in the South Atlantic in response to a request for support from the island’s government.
The deployed team includes two microbiologists, Clara Milroy and Kimberley Steeds, who will support with PCR testing for hantavirus as well as supporting testing to exclude other conditions, the UKHSA said on its website.
They are joined by infection prevention and control expert Anthony Twyman, who will support Jamestown General Hospital to prepare and respond to any potential cases through assessments and training.
The trio will be on the island for the next eight weeks, according to the agency.
The outbreak on the cruise ship has led to at least 11 reported cases among passengers, including three deaths.
Public Health Scotland warned on Thursday that a small number of people in Scotland have potentially had contact with the virus and that it was working to get in touch with “a small number of individuals” who could be affected.
