UK EVACUATES CRUISE PASSENGERS AFTER HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK ON MV HONDIUS
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Agency Report
A special flight carrying 20 British nationals evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius landed in Manchester on Sunday following a hantavirus outbreak aboard the vessel.
Television footage showed the aircraft arriving at Manchester Airport from Tenerife, where the cruise ship is currently moored.
The evacuated passengers are expected to be transported to Arrowe Park Hospital near Liverpool for medical tests and will remain in quarantine for up to 72 hours as health authorities assess their condition.
According to information released by Spanish authorities, 22 British nationals were earlier evacuated from the vessel. However, Britain’s Press Association reported that 20 were aboard the special repatriation flight, while the remaining two were scheduled to travel to a different destination.
British officials had not immediately confirmed the discrepancy.
UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, thanked emergency responders and officials involved in the evacuation effort.
In a post on X, Cooper praised those who worked “around the clock” to safely return passengers to the United Kingdom while ensuring public health protocols were strictly observed.
A spokesperson for the National Health Service said the passengers would undergo immediate medical screening upon arrival, after which decisions would be made on whether extended isolation would be necessary.
The outbreak aboard the cruise ship has already claimed three lives a Dutch couple and a German woman.
Several other passengers have reportedly fallen ill with the rare viral disease, which is typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings.
The World Health Organization confirmed on Friday that six hantavirus cases had been verified out of eight suspected infections linked to the outbreak.
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