Presenters Stephen Dixon and Ellie Costello had to halt this morning’s GB News to update viewers about the Hantavirus outbreak, also known as the ‘rat virus’, after a third British national is suspected to have contracted it on Trista da Cunha. Costello said: “There is breaking news now, a third British national has suspected Hantavirus on the remote island area of Trista da Cunha, that’s the National Health Security Agency bringing you this live.” Dixon added: “The ship where all of this has been going on is expected to dock in Tenerife on Sunday, that’s from the latest reports from the Spanish Health Ministry.” He said UK government staff will be on the ground to support British nationals as they disembark.
The GB News star said: “Passengers and crew not showing any signs of the virus will be escorted by UK Government staff to an airport and given free passage back to the UK.”
Authorities have been monitoring the outbreak, which is linked to a cruise ship in the South Atlantic. The outbreak originated on the MV Hondius, which departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, in early April.
As of yesterday, (Thursday, May 7) three deaths have been confirmed and there are currently eight suspected cases, with five laboratory confirmed infections.
A statement from the World Health Organisation reads: “This is a serious infectious disease, but most people will never be exposed to it.”
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice and rats and transmitted through their droppings and urine.
Most hantaviruses do not spread between humans, although rare cases of person-to-person transmission have occurred with the Andes virus strain. This is the strain of hantavirus identified in the cruise ship outbreak.
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