Keir Starmer issues Hantavirus cruise ship update as government ‘putting plans in place’
The Prime Minister has said that the risk to the wider public ‘remains very low’, in an update shared on Tuesday afternoon
The cruise ship MV Hondius is stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Government is putting ‘plans in place’ for the onward travel of Britons stuck aboard a cruise ship hit by a suspected hantavirus outbreak, the Prime Minister said.
Three people, who were passengers of the MV Hondius, have died following the suspected outbreak, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Three others are ill, the WHO said in a statement to The Associated Press.
A British tourist is being treated in hospital in South Africa amid the suspected outbreak.
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The outbreak of the infection was reported on the Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde. It was docked near Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday night, according to ship tracking website MarineTraffic.
The UN’s agency also said an investigation has been launched and at least one case of hantavirus has been confirmed. The infection, which is usually spread by infected rodents’ urine or faeces, can lead to severe respiratory illness and can be fatal in some cases.
In an update shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon (May 5), Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “My thoughts are with those affected by the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius.
“We are working closely with international partners to support British nationals on board and we’re putting plans in place for their safe onward travel.”
He continued: “The risk to the wider public remains very low – protecting the British people is our number one priority.”
According to the South African health authority, a 70-year-old man and his 69-year-old wife, from the Netherlands, have died after falling ill. The ministry said the man suffered fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, and died in St Helena while the woman was taken to hospital in the Kempton Park area of South Africa after collapsing at an airport.
The WHO said: “Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing.”
Risk of infection to the wider public remains low, according to Hans Henri P Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, as he added there is “no need for panic or travel restrictions”.
Two crew members upon the cruise have also not been given authorisation to disembark as authorities in Cape Verde say they “require urgent medical care”, the ship’s operator Oceanwide Expeditions said on Sunday. The company statement said ensuring the two crew members receive “adequate and expedited medical care” was its priority.
While it is rare, hantavirus infections can spread between people, according to the WHO. There is no specific treatment or cure for the infectio, but patients who receive medical attention early have an increased chance of survival.
