British health authorities are preparing to receive about 24 passengers and crew members from the virus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, as the vessel heads toward Spain’s Canary Islands following a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed three lives.
The group, made up mainly of British nationals alongside two Irish citizens, will be transferred to a controlled medical facility upon arrival in the United Kingdom, according to NHS officials on Saturday.
The Dutch-operated expedition ship is expected to anchor in Tenerife early Sunday after weeks at sea during a carefully coordinated international repatriation effort involving health authorities from several countries.
In a joint statement, NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire, Wirral Council, local ambulance services and police authorities confirmed that the passengers would undergo clinical assessment and testing under the guidance of the UK Health Security Agency.
“On arrival they will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing,” the statement said, adding that the group would initially remain under observation for 72 hours while further isolation arrangements are reviewed.
An internal NHS email obtained by AFP revealed that the passengers will be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, northwest England — the same facility used during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic to isolate Britons evacuated from Wuhan, China, and passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in 2020.
Hospital chief executive Janelle Holmes assured staff and the public that extensive safety measures are already in place.
“We will be welcoming the guests on Sunday 10 May 2026 and they will all be screened for symptoms before they arrive on-site; nobody showing any symptoms will be transferred here,” Holmes stated in the email.
She added that the risk to the wider public remains minimal.
“The risk to the general population remains very low and the public can be reassured that established infection control measures will be put in place at every step of the journey,” she said.
Since the outbreak began, three passengers — a Dutch couple and a German woman — have died from the disease, while several others reportedly fell ill.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday confirmed six hantavirus cases out of eight suspected infections aboard the ship, noting that no suspected cases currently remain onboard.
The vessel had departed from Cape Verde, where three infected passengers were evacuated earlier in the week for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Irish authorities are also reportedly making arrangements to repatriate two Irish nationals from the ship, according to broadcaster RTE.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially serious disease commonly spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings. Health officials, however, maintain that the outbreak poses little threat to the general public under current containment measures.
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