Nine UK citizens exposed to hantavirus returning to Britain

Nine people connected to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which was hit by a hantavirus outbreak, are set to arrive in the UK.

The group of UK citizens from St Helena and Ascension Island, who may have been exposed to hantavirus but do not have symptoms, were expected to return to the UK on Sunday evening, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

Upon arrival, the group were due to be transferred to Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, where they will be closely monitored.

The agency said it is working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and UK Overseas Territories to oversee the care of the patients as they complete their self-isolation in the UK.

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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."

On Saturday, one person left the Wirral hospital to complete their 45-day isolation period at home, after a clinical and public health assessment deemed this safe, the UKHSA said.

A further six people returned home from the hospital to continue their self-isolation on Thursday.

The UKHSA update on expected arrivals comes a day after a medic from Ascension Island was taken to the High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit in Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London.

The medic was brought to the UK for a "specialist assessment" after developing symptoms, with the UKHSA describing it as a "highly precautionary measure".

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Three people - a Dutch couple ⁠and a German national - have died since the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius, a ​Dutch luxury cruise ship that departed Argentina on a polar expedition on 1 April.

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses usually spread by rodents, but ⁠in ​rare cases can be transmitted person ​to person. Health authorities have said the risk of the virus spreading ​is low.

On Friday, World Health Organisation official Maria Van Kerkhove said the US confirmed that a person who had an inconclusive test was later shown to be negative for hantavirus, bringing the total global cases number down to 10 from 11.

But on Sunday, Canada's national health agency confirmed that one of four Canadians who returned home from the cruise ship has tested positive for the virus.

The Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed the positive test a day after the public health officer for the province of British Columbia said the person had received a "presumptive positive", but further testing would be carried out.

A second person who was a travelling partner of the confirmed case was confirmed negative, the statement added. Both people, a couple in their 70s, are in a hospital in Victoria.

The four Canadian cruise passengers returned to British Columbia last Sunday and are all in isolation.

Shipowner Oceanwide Expeditions has said that the MV Hondius is expected to arrive at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Monday, adding that the remaining 25 crew members, as well as two medical staff, will follow quarantine procedures set by Dutch authorities upon arrival.

Crew, ​passengers and people in contact have been quarantined in several European countries.

Meanwhile, the UKHSA announced on Friday that its Rapid Support Team has deployed a fully functioning mobile laboratory to St Helena, a UK overseas territory of which Ascension Island is a part, after the nation's government asked for help.

The UKHSA and Foreign Office have been contacted for comment.

(c) Sky News 2026: Nine UK citizens exposed to hantavirus returning to Britain