London, All remaining British nationals on board a cruise ship hit by the dangerous rat-borne hantavirus are being assessed at a north-west England hospital as they begin their 45-day isolation period, health authorities said on Monday.
The UK Health Security Agency said 20 British nationals, joined by a German national resident in the UK and a Japanese passenger – repatriated at the request of the government of Japan from the MV Hondius, are being monitored at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral in Merseyside.
They will receive clinical assessments and testing within 72 hours before infectious disease experts can determine where they can suitably complete their isolation.
“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,” said UK Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson.
“With no cases or symptoms among them and our stringent monitoring and isolation measures, the risk to the public remains extremely low,” she said.
The UKHSA said strict infection control measures were in place throughout the journey off the cruise ship, with passengers, crew, drivers and medical teams all wearing necessary personal protective equipment such as face masks.
During their isolation period, passengers will have daily contact with UKHSA health protection teams to check on their well-being and any symptoms.
“The safety and well-being of those passengers remains our priority. The risk remains very low for members of the general public,” said Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Officer at UKHSA.
The UK government has said it will ensure everyone self-isolating is given the appropriate support.
Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside was the UK’s initial COVID quarantine site in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic six years ago. Health experts have reiterated that the hantavirus is not like COVID-19, due to the “very different’ nature of human-to-human transmission.
During the 72-hour monitoring period at the hospital, public health specialists from UKHSA and infectious diseases specialists from the National Health Service will keep a close eye on the medical condition of the passengers.
Earlier on Sunday evening, a chartered flight transported the MV Hondius luxury cruise passengers from the Canary Islands to Manchester Airport, and the evacuation of passengers of all nationalities is expected to be completed early this week.
Most hantaviruses do not spread easily between humans, although person-to-person transmission has been observed in some cases involving particular strains.
The World Health Organisation , which is leading the international response to the incident, has identified the Andes strain – species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans, linked to close and prolonged contact.
The outbreak linked to the cruise ship has killed three people, but the WHO has ruled out the risk of a pandemic. PTI AK ZH
ZH
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