A healthcare worker displaying hantavirus symptoms has been flown to a specialist London hospital for assessment, as nine people from Ascension Island linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak are due to arrive in the UK
Paige Ingram Multimedia Journalist, Peter Hennessy UK & World News Editor and Izzie Addison Press Association
00:37, 18 May 2026
An officer wearing protective gear as passengers leave the MV Hondius cruise ship(Image: Alberto Valdes/EPA/Shutterstock)
A healthcare worker displaying symptoms consistent with hantavirus from a remote British overseas territory is undergoing treatment at a London hospital, while nine people connected to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak are set to arrive in the UK.
Nine British nationals from St Helena and Ascension Island, who may have been exposed to hantavirus but remain asymptomatic, are expected to arrive in the UK on Sunday evening, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed, reports the Mirror.
This comes after a healthcare worker from Ascension Island was transported to the High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust on Saturday. The medical professional was flown to the UK for a “specialist assessment” after developing symptoms, described as a “highly precautionary measure” by the UKHSA.
“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 UKHSA stated in a Saturday update. The individual will undergo further testing and assessment at the unit.”
British passengers and crew from the MV Hondius en route to Arrowe Park Hospital(Image: Getty Images)
The group scheduled to arrive on Sunday will complete their self-isolation period in the UK, supported by the NHS’s High Consequence Infectious Diseases network if they develop illness, the UKHSA has confirmed.
Those affected will be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, the same facility that housed passengers from the MV Hondius. Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the UKHSA, said: “UKHSA will continue to work with our partners locally, nationally and internationally to ensure everyone has the necessary support in place.”
“We are undertaking safe repatriation of those affected by the outbreak where appropriate, incorporating medical checks and support, with the latest flight arriving tonight. We are committed to keeping these passengers and the wider population safe and will remain in close contact with them as they complete their self-isolation period.”
The UKHSA confirmed that on Saturday, one person was discharged from Arrowe Park Hospital to complete their 45-day isolation period at home, following a clinical and public health assessment that deemed it safe to do so.
A further six people left the hospital to continue their self-isolation at home the previous Thursday. Those isolating at home and those still in hospital are being closely monitored, it added.
The MV Hondius docked in Tenerife on May 11(Image: Getty Images)
On Friday evening, the UKHSA announced that three members of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) had been deployed to the UK overseas territories in the South Atlantic, following a request for assistance from the island’s government.
The deployed team comprises two microbiologists, Clara Milroy and Kimberley Steeds, who will provide support with PCR testing for hantavirus while also helping to rule out other potential conditions, the UKHSA confirmed on its website. Accompanying them is infection prevention and control specialist Anthony Twyman, who will support Jamestown General Hospital in preparing for and managing any potential cases through assessments and training.
The three-member team is set to remain on the island for the next eight weeks, according to the agency.
The outbreak aboard the cruise ship has led to at least 11 reported cases amongst passengers, three of which have proved fatal. Public Health Scotland issued an alert on Thursday warning that a small number of people in Scotland may have potentially been exposed to the virus, adding that it was in the process of contacting “a small number of individuals” who could be affected.
