Home / Health / UK Dispatches Lab to Island Hantavirus Outbreak
UK Dispatches Lab to Island Hantavirus Outbreak
16 May
Summary
- UK experts deployed to South Atlantic island due to hantavirus outbreak.
- Mobile lab and microbiologists sent to aid testing and response efforts.
- Cruise ship outbreak has seen 11 cases and three fatalities.
A mobile laboratory and a specialized UK team have been sent to St Helena and Ascension islands in the South Atlantic to combat a hantavirus outbreak. The UK Health Security Agency deployed three experts, including microbiologists and an infection prevention specialist, to provide crucial testing support and enhance hospital preparedness.
This rapid response follows a request from the island government after a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship led to 11 confirmed cases and three fatalities. As a precaution, 10 Britons connected to the outbreak are being brought to the UK for self-isolation.
Public Health Scotland has also warned of potential exposure to a small number of individuals in Scotland. Health authorities are monitoring the situation closely, with the World Health Organization emphasizing that it is not a new COVID-19 pandemic but acknowledging the possibility of more cases due to the virus's long incubation period.
