Medic with rat virus symptoms treated in UK hospital as 9 more linked to infected cruise to arrive in Britain to isolate
the-sun.com • • health
Key Points:
- A medic showing symptoms of hantavirus is being treated at a specialist High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit in London, marking a potential first UK case linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak.
- Nine British nationals connected to the MV Hondius outbreak are being evacuated from St Helena and Ascension Island to the UK for isolation and monitoring, though they are currently asymptomatic.
- The medic was brought to the UK for specialist assessment due to the absence of an infectious diseases unit on Ascension Island, with UK Health Security Agency emphasizing the precautionary nature of this move.
- The MV Hondius is en route to the Netherlands for inspection and disinfection, with all remaining crew and medics to be disembarked, while WHO maintains that the global risk from hantavirus remains low.
- Efforts continue to track and isolate passengers who disembarked earlier, as some had unknowingly been exposed to the virus, prompting international monitoring and containment measures.