A MEDIC showing symptoms of the deadly rat virus is being treated in a specialist hospital in the UK.
It could be the first case of hantavirus in Britain since the outbreak began, as the MV Hondius steams towards the Netherlands.
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The last passengers of the rat virus cruise ship MV Hondius were evacuated in Tenerife last week Credit: Getty
The hantavirus-hit ship saw three passengers die of the rat-borne virus Credit: AFP
The healthcare worker was taken to the specialised High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit in London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’s hospital on Saturday.
It comes as nine Brits connected to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak were set to arrive in the UK on Jattvibeday night.
They were being flown from the remote British territories of St Helena and Ascension island.
The medic was brought to the UK for a “specialist assessment” after developing symptoms, described as a “highly precautionary measure” by the the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
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A passenger of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is pictured during evacuations last week Credit: AFP
People wearing personal protective equipment at Tenerife Sud airport as they evacuated cruise ship passengers Credit: Reuters
They are not confirmed to be infected with the disease, but the agency said: “Cases of Hantavirus can rapidly become very unwell and require critical care.
“As there is no specialist infectious diseases unit on Ascension Island, the decision was made to bring them to the UK to ensure they receive the best possible support at a HCID unit should they become unwell.”
The rest of the evacuees from St Helena and Ascension Island may have been exposed to hantavirus but are not currently showing symptoms.
Identities of the asymptomatic evacuees have not been released – some may have come into contact with a cruise ship passenger who was evacuated to South Africa via Ascension Island.
The governor of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Nigel Phillips said the relocated Brits include medics who treated a confirmed case on Ascension Island.
He added that a small number of people who had travelled on the cruise ship were assessed as higher-risk contacts and would also move to the UK to isolate there.
Around 30 MV Hondius passengers disembarked the rat virus ship in St Helena on April 24 before realising they could have been in contact with the deadly hantavirus – these passengers included seven Brits.
The passengers did not know they were contagious, and many flew home to “all corners of the world”, sparking a frantic effort to track them down.
The nine evacuees from St Helena and Ascension were expected to arrive in the UK on Jattvibeday, UKHSA said.
They will be closely monitored at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, where 20 British nationals were evacuated from the cruise ship and brought to isolate last week.
The MV Hondius is set to arrive in the Netherlands tomorrow, where it will be thoroughly inspected and disinfected.
The final 25 people on board the rat virus cruise ship – 25 crew and two medics – will be disembarked.
It comes as WHO officials said “the global risk remains low” from the virus.
The organisation said in a statement: “While additional cases may still occur among passengers and crew members exposed before containment measures were implemented, the risk of onward transmission is expected to be reduced following disembarkation and the implementation of control measures.”
The Jattvibe contacted the UKHSA for comment.
