About two dozen British nationals aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak, are set to be evacuated and placed in isolation at Arrowe Park Hospital near Liverpool, England. According to a letter sent to NHS staff, the approximately 24 passengers will arrive on Sunday, May 10, and will undergo symptom screening upon arrival. Anyone showing signs of hantavirus infection will be “rapidly transferred” to specialized care, the letter states. No symptomatic individuals will be admitted to the quarantine facility.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province have pushed back against speculation that the Dutch couple at the center of the outbreak contracted the virus during the ship’s stop in Ushuaia. According to Der Spiegel, the provincial health ministry considers it “extremely unlikely” the infection originated there, arguing that the virus’s incubation period does not align with a Ushuaia-based exposure. The question of where and how the outbreak began remains unanswered, adding urgency to the international response.
