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Hantavirus Cruise Ship Passengers Spend First Night at Arrowe Park
Twenty British passengers will be monitored for 72 hours at Arrowe Park after a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius prompted repatriation.
Twenty British passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius arrived at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, on Sunday evening via a chartered Titan Airways flight from the Canary Islands.
Following an outbreak linked to eight hantavirus cases, Spanish authorities evacuated 94 passengers from the MV Hondius in Tenerife on Sunday, with the ship's 30 remaining crew members set to sail to Rotterdam for disinfection.
Public health minister Sharon Hodgson confirmed none of the passengers are symptomatic during the 72-hour precautionary isolation period at Arrowe Park, where staff will conduct "welfare checks on each individual."
Risk to the general public remains "really low" because hantavirus does not spread like Covid or flu, officials report, though passengers must complete a 45-day isolation period to ensure safety.
Pharmacist Thorrun Govind explains the virus, carried by rodents, causes serious respiratory or kidney illness, and clinical assessments at Arrowe Park will determine if passengers can complete remaining isolation at home.