The UK has deployed a rapid response mobile laboratory to the island of St Helena following an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship, health officials have said. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday evening that three team members of the the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) had been sent to the UK overseas territories of St Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic in response to a request for support from the island’s government.
It comes after it was announced that 10 Britons from South Atlantic islands connected to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak are to be brought to the UK in case they develop the illness. The group, thought to be residents of St Helena and Ascension, are being “brought to the UK to complete their self-isolation as a precautionary measure”, the UK Health Security Agency said earlier this week. The deployed team includes two microbiologists, Clara Milroy and Kimberley Steeds, who will support with PCR testing for hantavirus as well as supporting testing to exclude other conditions, the UKHSA said on its website.
They are joined by infection prevention and control expert Anthony Twyman who will support Jamestown General Hospital to prepare and respond to any potential cases through assessments and training.
The trio will be on the island for the next eight weeks, according to the agency.
Dr Edmund Newman, director of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, said: “This deployment reflects UKHSA’s commitment to responding rapidly to health threats wherever they emerge and to supporting our international partners in protecting public health globally.
“Our teams continue to work closely with all those affected by this outbreak, both in the UK and overseas, to ensure all necessary support is in place.
“The risk to the general public remains very low.”
The outbreak on the cruise ship has led to at least 11 reported cases among passengers, including three deaths.
Public Health Scotland warned on Thursday that a small number of people in Scotland have potentially had contact with the virus and that it was working to get in touch with “a small number of individuals” who could be affected.
