Ten more people to be flown to UK for hantavirus monitoring

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Ten more people to be flown to UK for hantavirus monitoringJust now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAmy WalkerandGeorge WrightAFP via Getty ImagesSaint Helena is a British Overseas Territory located in the South AtlanticTen people from the UK Overseas Territories of Saint Helena and Ascension Island who were either on board or contacts of passengers from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius will be brought to the UK for self-isolation. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said they were being moved to the UK as a "precautionary measure" and that none of them were showing symptoms. Meanwhile, clinical assessments and testing of passengers who were on board the MV Hondius are "well under way" at a Merseyside hospital, health officials said.

The passengers are more than 24 hours into a 72-hour isolation period at Arrowe Park Hospital. They include 20 British nationals, a German national who is a UK resident and a Japanese passenger. Once discharged, they will be asked to self-isolate for up to 45 days.

The Details

On Monday, Prof Robin May, chief scientific officer at UKHSA, said the evacuees were "healthy and asymptomatic". In a later update on Monday evening, he added: "We want to reassure both passengers and the wider public that robust arrangements are in place, and that everyone involved will be looked after every step of the way. "The 10 people from Saint Helena and Ascension Island are being moved because the NHS in England was "well equipped to respond if they become unwell", the UKHSA said.

No sign of larger hantavirus outbreak, says UN health agency How worried should we be about hantavirus? Three people have died following the outbreak on the cruise ship, two of whom were confirmed to have the virus. They include an elderly Dutch man, who died before he could be tested, and his wife, who died after disembarking.

A German woman also died on board the ship. On Tuesday morning, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "our work is not over" to contain hantavirus after the cruise ship outbreak. He said "there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak", but added that "given the long incubation period of the virus, it's possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks".

What Experts Say

Eighty-seven passengers of the Dutch MV Hondius, which was docked in Spain's Canary Islands, have been repatriated over the past few days, the ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said. During Tuesday's press briefing, Ghebreyesus said some of the passengers were "facing mental breakdown" after being on board the ship for weeks "in what must have been a very frightening situation". He added that the WHO's view was that to keep people on board the ship during the quarantine period "would have been inhumane, and unnecessary".

The group isolating at Arrowe Park were flown to Manchester from Tenerife on Sunday. An initial 72-hour hospital isolation period is due to end on Wednesday.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.