UK monitors third suspected Hantavirus case
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- UKHSA identified a suspected case of Hantavirus in a British national on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha.
- This follows a confirmed outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced on Friday that a third British citizen is suspected of being infected with the rare Hantavirus.
The individual was located on Tristan da Cunha, a remote British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean.
While laboratory confirmation is pending for this specific case, the agency confirmed that two other British nationals have already tested positive for the virus following an outbreak on a cruise ship.
Fatalities and confirmed infections
The outbreak originated aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged vessel traveling from Argentina. As of Friday, the deadly pathogen has claimed three lives: a married couple from the Netherlands and a German national.
The UKHSA reports that five cases have been laboratory-confirmed so far, with several other passengers and crew members under investigation for suspected symptoms including fever, respiratory distress, and pneumonia.
Repatriation measures
The MV Hondius is expected to dock at Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Sunday.
UKHSA officials stated that British nationals currently on board who do not show symptoms will be repatriated to the UK via air travel.
Upon arrival, these individuals will be required to undergo a mandatory 45-day self-isolation period.
This extended timeframe, which exceeds the typical 14-day quarantine, is designed to account for the long incubation period of the Andes hantavirus variant identified in this outbreak.
