Welsh residents are self-isolating following the deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, Public Health Wales has confirmed.
The health body said it is supporting “a small number” of Welsh residents connected to the outbreak on the MV Hondius — a Dutch cruise ship that sailed from Argentina in April and became the centre of an international public health emergency after hantavirus cases were confirmed on board.
All the Welsh residents are well and none are showing symptoms. There are no known cases of hantavirus in Wales.
A Public Health Wales spokesperson said: “We are supporting a small number of Welsh residents linked with the hantavirus outbreak. Individuals will receive regular precautionary testing and a daily assessment for the duration of their self-isolation.”
Three people have died in connection with the outbreak. As of today, there are eight confirmed cases of the virus linked to the ship, with two further suspected cases.
British nationals who were on board were flown from Tenerife to Manchester on 10 May and taken by coach to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, where they have been assessed and tested. Six have since gone home or to alternative accommodation to continue isolating. All remaining passengers at Arrowe Park are symptom-free and have tested negative.
Passengers face up to 45 days of isolation from their last exposure, with daily contact from UK Health Security Agency health protection teams throughout.
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents — rats, mice and voles — spread through their droppings, urine and saliva. People usually catch it by breathing in contaminated air, most often in rural or agricultural settings where people and rodents come into close contact.
The strain behind this outbreak is Andes hantavirus — a more serious type that, in rare cases, can spread between people through very close and prolonged contact. It is not caught through everyday social contact.
Public Health Wales was unambiguous on that point. “Going to public spaces, shops, workplaces, or schools does not pose a risk,” the spokesperson said.
Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath. In serious cases, the lungs can fill with fluid. Symptoms typically appear two to four weeks after exposure, but can take up to 40 days to develop. There is no vaccine and no specific treatment — doctors can only treat the symptoms.
The Andes virus has never been detected in the UK rodent population, meaning there is no ongoing risk from wildlife here. The only strain of hantavirus seen in the UK is Seoul hantavirus, which is carried by rats but does not spread between people.
If any of the Welsh residents currently isolating develop symptoms, Public Health Wales said robust arrangements are in place to ensure they get urgent medical attention.
Public Health Wales is working with the Welsh Government, the UK Health Security Agency, Welsh health boards and local authorities to co-ordinate the response.
The latest updates on the outbreak are available from the UK Health Security Agency at gov.uk.
