Officials have revealed that ten Britons from South Atlantic islands linked to a cruise ship outbreak of hantavirus will be brought to the UK for self-isolation. The group, who are residents of the UK overseas territories of Saint Helena and Ascension Island, are being flown to Britain to complete their self-isolation.
Ten Britons from South Atlantic islands linked to a cruise ship outbreak of hantavirus will be brought to the UK in case they develop the illness.
The group, who are residents of the UK overseas territories of Saint Helena and Ascension Island, are being flown to Britain to complete their self-isolation. All those involved are British and are understood to include people who left the cruise ship in Saint Helena, plus medical staff who have been in contact with them.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the total included four individuals in Saint Helena who were on the cruise ship and six close contacts on Ascension Island. None are symptomatic and their final destination in Britain is unknown, but the move was described as 'precautionary to support communities in UK overseas territories'.
Once in Britain they will get access to NHS infectious disease specialists should they become ill, and the UKHSA said it will 'set out where they will isolate in due course. It comes as 20 British nationals from the MV Hondius, together with a German who is a UK resident, and a Japanese passenger, who have been isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral in Merseyside prepare to leave the facility.
They were taken there on Sunday night after the ship docked in Tenerife, for a three-day isolation and assessment period. They will isolate for another 42 days at home. MV Hondius is seen navigating the Atlantic Ocean near Saint Helena island on April 24, 2026.
Members of the RAF drop medical kit to the Atlantic Island of Tristan Da Cunha on Saturday to provide assistance to a British national who contracted hantavirus aboard the cruise ship St Helena is a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. The UKHSA said of this group: 'Public health and clinical specialists have assessed each passenger's individual circumstances, and, where it is safe and possible, tailored support packages will be provided to enable people to isolate at home.
Health protection teams across the UK will continue to monitor and support everyone after they leave the facility, with daily contact throughout the isolation period to ensure they can isolate safely. A small number of individuals who have been isolating at home or elsewhere in England will also be assessed at the hospital. Previously, it was reported that two Britons who returned to the UK from the ship early have been isolating at home.
They contacted officials after hearing about the outbreak of hantavirus. It is understood that neither of these people have developed hantavirus symptoms but are going to stay at Arrowe Park while they continue to isolate. Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at UKHSA, said: 'We are grateful to the passengers for their cooperation and patience in what we appreciate has been a very unsettling period for all involved.
As this first assessment period concludes, our priority remains to ensure everyone is safe and well supported, wherever they complete their isolation. Our teams will continue to be there for all of the affected individuals every step of the way.
UKHSA UK Health Security Agency British Nationals MV Hondius Cruise Ship Hantavirus Self-Isolation Arrowe Park Hospital Tenerife South Atlantic Islands Saint Helena Ascension Island Tristan Da Cunha Johannesburg Netherlands World Health Organisation Cruise Ship Passengers Mental Breakdown Kindness Compassion
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