Health authorities have identified another potential hantavirus infection involving a British citizen on Tristan da Cunha, one of the world’s most isolated inhabited islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, officials announced Friday.
The development comes as international health agencies continue their efforts to track down passengers and close contacts from the luxury cruise vessel MV Hondius, where a deadly virus outbreak has already claimed three lives.
British health security officials have not released additional information about the latest suspected infection on Tristan da Cunha, which houses approximately 200 residents and served as a port of call for the cruise ship on April 15.
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has resulted in three fatalities: a married Dutch couple and a German passenger. Additionally, four confirmed cases are currently receiving medical care in hospitals across multiple countries – two British nationals, one Dutch citizen, and one Swiss passenger are being treated in the Netherlands, South Africa, and Switzerland respectively.
The first death occurred on April 11 when a Dutch man, later identified as ‘patient zero,’ died aboard the vessel. His wife passed away on April 24, shortly after disembarking from the ship.
The World Health Organisation announced it would release updated figures on both suspected and confirmed cases later Friday.
Dutch health officials reported Thursday that two individuals who had close contact with the deceased woman before she was removed from an aircraft in Johannesburg on April 25 due to worsening health conditions have tested negative for the virus.
One of those tested was a flight attendant who had been hospitalized in Amsterdam after showing potential infection symptoms, according to Friday’s WHO statement. Dutch public health authorities indicated they were still awaiting definitive test results for a third case.
While hantavirus typically spreads through rodent contact, the particular strain affecting the Hondius passengers can occasionally transmit between people in unusual circumstances.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated this hantavirus situation as a ‘level 3’ emergency response, representing their lowest emergency activation category.
Medical experts continue emphasizing the minimal likelihood of widespread transmission, though the outbreak has prompted heightened vigilance among authorities who are advising anyone who contacted passengers departing the Hondius before the outbreak became known to watch for potential symptoms.
Multiple U.S. states have reported monitoring asymptomatic residents who returned home after leaving the cruise ship. Singapore authorities isolated and tested two residents Thursday who had traveled aboard the vessel.
Oceanwide, the cruise line operating the ship, stated Thursday that no passengers currently aboard are showing infection symptoms. The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Tenerife in the Canary Islands early Sunday morning.
The WHO is developing comprehensive guidelines for when the remaining dozens of passengers disembark and return to their home countries. British health services announced that UK nationals aboard the ship who remain symptom-free will be transported home and required to isolate for 45 days.
