British hantavirus-hit cruise ship passengers begin hospital isolation and follow-up home quarantine

The World Health Organization said the ship will sail to Rotterdam in the Netherlands to undergo disinfection.

There were two suspected cases, including a British man on Tristan da Cunha who is in stable condition and isolated.

The Andes hantavirus strain identified in a number of people who had been on the Dutch cruise ship was noted.

An American and a French national who had returned to their home countries after leaving the ship tested positive for hantavirus.

Two British nationals were confirmed to be being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa.

A joint statement from emergency services in the North West and Wirral Council said Arrowe Park Hospital is operating normally and that visitors and staff should continue to come to the hospital with confidence.

A team of six British Army paratroopers and two medical clinicians parachuted onto Tristan da Cunha to assist its two-person medical team caring for a British man, marking the first time the UK military has parachuted in medical personnel for humanitarian support, according to the MoD.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked those who worked around the clock to bring passengers from MV Hondius back to the UK by special flight, with public health protections in place.

Twenty British nationals, one German national (UK resident), and one Japanese passenger are being monitored at Arrowe Park Hospital for a 72-hour period.

On May 10, the Hondius docked at Granadilla de Abona port in the Canary Islands. Twenty-two British nationals remained aboard (two dual nationals traveling to the US and Australia), while twenty British nationals were evacuated by charter flight to Manchester and taken to Arrowe Park Hospital for 72-hour monitoring.

Two British nationals disembarked the vessel at St Helena on April 24 and began voluntary self-isolation at home in the UK.

The MV Hondius began its journey in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, with about 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries reported to have initially been aboard.