Twenty-two Britons from the Dutch cruise vessel stricken by the hantavirus are expected to fly back to Britain today supported by medical staff.
MV Hondius is expected to arrive early Sunday morning at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife. Three people on board the ship have died after the outbreak of hantavirus, which is typically spread by infected rats and mice.
Under plans drawn up by Spanish authorities, passengers will be evacuated from the vessel and transported along a cordoned-off area in sealed vehicles. British passengers and crew are due to be taken directly to Tenerife South airport to fly home.
Once back in the UK, the 19 British passengers and three crew members will isolate at a hospital in Merseyside, according to a report by Sky News. They will be expected to isolate for 45 days and will be regularly tested for the virus.
A message to staff from Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have been asked to house these residents as our guests in the accommodation block on the Arrowe Park Hospital site to provide them with a safe place for their isolation period.”
The passengers and crew are expected to stay at the hospital for up to 72 hours. They will be assessed as to whether they can isolate at home or another suitable location.
There is no vaccine for hantavirus which causes deaths in up to 50% of cases, but international health officials are keen to reassure the public that the public health risk is low.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, said in a message to the Tenerife population on Saturday: “I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest.
“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another Covid. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low.”
Ghebreyesus joined Spanish health minister Mónica García in Tenerife on Saturday to help coordinate the cruise ship evacuation.
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Ghebreyesus said there were no symptomatic passengers on the ship and Spanish authorities had prepared a careful “step-by-step” plan for the evacuation.
Nearly 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries are on board the ship. Fourteen Spanish passengers are expected to be flown to the Gómez Ulla military hospital, in Madrid.
Fernando Clavijo, president of the regional government of the Canary Islands, opposed the vessel disembarking passengers at the islands because of concerns of public safety.
He was overruled by the Spanish government which said there was a “moral and legal obligation” to provide assistance. There was a protest on Friday by dock workers outside the Canary Islands’ parliament building in Santa Cruz over the possible health risks.
There are six confirmed cases of hantavirus linked to the cruise ship and two suspected cases. All the confirmed cases are the Andes strain which can cause limited person-to-person transmission among close and prolonged contacts.
The expedition polar cruise vessel started its journey at Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina on 1 April, bound for the archipelago nation of Cape Verde off the West Africa coast. The itinerary included visits to some of the most remote islands in the world, including Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. A ticket for the trip cost could be bought for about £15,000.
Five days after the cruise set sail, a 70-year-old Dutchman developed symptoms of fever, headache and mild diarrhoea. He died on 11 April. The wife of the dead man also fell ill after disembarking from the ship at St Helena and died on 26 April. A third passenger died on 2 May.
Several Britons have already disembarked from the vessel or been medically evacuated. Seven left the ship at Saint Helena on 24 April. Two Britons were medically evacuated, including expedition guide Martin Anstee, 56, who was flown to the Netherlands for specialist medical care.
Oceanwide Expeditions, operator of MV Hondius, said on Saturday that all passengers and a limited number of crew would disembark in Tenerife. The company said passengers and crew were being supported by medical personnel. “The atmosphere on board continues to remain positive,” the company said.
Photograph by AP