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Army Parachutes to Remote Island for Hantavirus Rescue
10 May
Summary
- Specialist army team parachuted medical aid to a hantavirus patient.
- MV Hondius cruise liner evacuated 149 passengers and crew after deaths.
- 23 countries involved in unprecedented operation to prevent virus spread.
An unprecedented airborne medical operation saw six paratroopers, an RAF consultant, and an Army nurse parachute onto Tristan da Cunha, Britain's remotest overseas territory. They delivered approximately 3.3 tonnes of oxygen and medical aid to treat a hantavirus patient on the isolated volcanic island.
The mission was critical as the MV Hondius cruise liner, carrying 149 passengers and crew, was finally evacuated after a month at sea and several deaths. Twenty-two Britons aboard the ship were repatriated after undergoing disinfection and testing.
This complex global effort, involving 23 countries, aimed to prevent the spread of the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, which can pass between people. Spain's health minister described the operation as "unprecedented" and stressed the low risk to the general population.
Britons returning home will undergo a 45-day quarantine in Wirral, Merseyside. The patient on Tristan da Cunha, who contracted the virus locally, is in a stable condition and isolated.
