Health officials monitoring Welsh residents linked with hantavirus outbreak

Some passengers that were repatriated to the UK from hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius were quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside. Credit: PA Images

Health officials are monitoring a "small number" of Welsh residents who have been linked to the hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship, Public Health Wales (PHW) has confirmed.

The organisation has said that the people affected are well and are not showing symptoms, but will be self-isolating and regularly assessed.

Those who are self-isolating were confirmed to be on board the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, or had contact with those who were.

It comes as three passengers died after the outbreak of hantavirus onboard, with 11 cases reported altogether.

Public Health Wales says it is working with Welsh Government, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Welsh health boards and local authorities to respond to the outbreak and to "take the appropriate action."

There are currently no known cases of hantavirus in Wales.

There were 22 Brits evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship.

They will have spent 72 hours isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside, and were set to start leaving quarantine on Wednesday to self-isolate for a further 42 days at home or in other accommodation.

Public Health Wales says the risk to the general public is very low.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is continuing to monitor the situation.

In a statement, Consultant in Public Health for Public Health Wales, Joanna Garner, said: “We are committed to respecting the privacy of every individual involved in a public health response.

"Information about those individuals is handled in strict confidence, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment on personal details relating to any specific person.”

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses that are normally carried by rodents, such as rats, mice and voles.

They are present throughout the world and can cause a range of diseases in humans ranging from mild, flu-like illness to severe respiratory illness or haemorrhagic disease with kidney issues.

According to Public Health Wales, it is not spread through everyday social contact like going to public spaces, shops, workplaces, or schools. In the "rare" instances where a person has caught the infection from another person, they have had "close and prolonged contact" with the individual who has been infected with hantavirus, the organisation has said.

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