Third Briton has suspected hantavirus linked to cruise ship outbreak

A third British national has been diagnosed with suspected hantavirus linked to a cruise ship outbreak, health officials have said. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had already confirmed two cases among British nationals , who are in hospitals in the Netherlands and South Africa. It said a third had been reported on the south Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the patient remains. The outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius has killed three people and the World Health Organization has warned more hantavirus cases could emerge, though officials said they expected the outbreak to be limited if precautions were taken. WHO: hantavirus cruise outbreak is 'not the start of a Covid pandemic' – video The fate of the Hondius has prompted international alarm and a scramble to trace the outbreak of the potentially deadly human-to-human strain. The UKHSA said none of the British citizens still onboard the ship, which is travelling to Tenerife, were reporting symptoms, but they are being closely monitored. The islands of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha all lie in the south Atlantic Ocean, midway between Africa and South America. A total of 29 people left the Hondius – including seven Britons – when it docked in St Helena on 24 April, including a Dutch woman who became unwell during onward travel and died. The ship is expected to dock in Tenerife on Sunday, according to the latest updates from the Spanish health ministry. …