Britain is preparing to repatriate nationals linked to the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius as the WHO chief warned the virus’s long incubation period made further cases inevitable.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pathogen’s extended latency period made further infections likely while stopping short of declaring the situation a wider public health emergency. “The incubation period is six to eight weeks. We would expect more cases,” he said, noting there had been “a lot of interaction” between passengers during the early stages of the voyage.
The possibility that the virus has already escaped the confines of the ship was raised by suspected cases appearing independently in Italy and France. Among those who sailed on the MV Hondius, the total stands at 11 cases – nine confirmed, two probable – with three fatalities.
What happened to patient zero and others who died?
The chain of infection is believed to have begun with Leo Schilperoord, a 70-year-old Dutch national who passed away on 6 April, weeks before the virus was identified.
His wife Mirjam, 69, fell gravely ill on a KLM flight out of South Africa and was removed from the aircraft before dying in a Johannesburg hospital a fortnight later. The Italian passenger who shared her flight had samples sent for testing. A third passenger, from Germany, also died.
A separate suspected case with no connection to the MV Hondius was hospitalised in Brittany this morning. Local mayor Quentin Le Gaillard sought to reassure residents: “There is no need to panic. We are only talking about a single case.”
What is happening to British nationals linked to the outbreak?
Health authorities are preparing to airlift ten British nationals who left the ship at St Helena, along with local medical workers who treated them, back to England for the remainder of their isolation, reports the Daily Mail.
The UKHSA said the group were being relocated “to places where they can safely self-isolate with access to appropriate specialist medical services,” adding: “This is because England’s NHS high consequence infectious disease network is well equipped to respond if they become unwell. Currently none of these contacts are symptomatic and this is precautionary to support communities in UK overseas territories.”
Twenty-two of the returning passengers were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral after landing in Manchester – a location that carried its own resonance, having housed the first Britons repatriated from Wuhan at the start of Covid.
They underwent a three-day assessment and will now isolate for a further 42 days. Two further Britons who returned early from the ship and have been isolating at home are also understood to be moving to Arrowe Park.
Authorities have no power to compel compliance with isolation unless individuals refuse and a direct public health risk is established. Concerned locals on the Wirral questioned why those on board had not been kept isolated at sea.
What is the current situation for British hantavirus patients?
Three British nationals are known to have contracted the virus. One is recovering in Johannesburg, a second is under care in the Netherlands, and a third remains on Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic.