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World Health Organisation shares seven effective measures to prevent hantavirus

People have been told to follow these steps to prevent the spread of the virus as passengers return from virus-stricken ship

Multiple passengers from the MV Hondius are now in Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral being closely monitored and tested after a hantavirus outbreak on the luxury cruise ship resulted in multiple confirmed cases and deaths.

While hantaviruses are usually transmitted only through infected rodents, the specific strain found on the ship has had human to human transmission reported in the past. The World Health Organisation has shared key steps people can take to protect themselves, with the most important one being avoiding contact with infected people and rodents.

Other effective measures according to the WHO:

• keeping homes and workplaces clean
• sealing openings that allow rodents to enter buildings
• storing food securely
• using safe cleaning practices in areas contaminated by rodents
• avoiding dry sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings
• dampening of contaminated areas before cleaning
• strengthening hand hygiene practices

[Hantavirus testing vial]

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Hantavirus has sparked concerns across the globe(Image: GETTY)

In the past, getting the virus from another human has required close and prolonged contact. It particularly affected people living in the same house and intimate partners, during the earliest phases of the illness.

In most cases, the virus is spread to humans when they come into contact with contaminated urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents. The WHO notes this exposure can happen when cleaning poorly ventilated spaces, sleeping in rodent-infesting dwellings or occupations in farming and forestry.

In the latest WHO update, director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low. Its possible that more cases may be reported.

The UKHSA assured on May 11th that strict infection control measures are in place as the passengers complete their isolation, which could be up to 45 days long with regular testing and care by the NHS and UKHSA.

A total of 20 British nationals and one German national who stays in the UK are being monitored in Wirral along with one Japanese passenger who is completing their isolation in the UK at the request of the Japanese government.

Overall, three people have died linked to the outbreak. One British man with hantavirus is still being cared for in Johannesburg and another is in the Netherlands. Another British national has hantavirus and is isolating where he lives on the remote South Atlantic Island of Tristan da Cunha.

Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Officer at UKHSA, said: Throughout this incident, we have worked closely with government departments including FCDO, DHSC, MHCLG and MOD alongside international partners to support the safe repatriation of British passengers. The safety and wellbeing of those passengers remains our priority. The risk remains very low for members of the general public. "

[Person washing hands]

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Simple daily habits could help protect you against the disease(Image: GETTY)

Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson said: I want to thank all those who have worked to bring our British nationals home and the NHS workers now caring for them at Arrowe Park Hospital their dedication and professionalism show our NHS at its very best.

None of the passengers are symptomatic but we will monitor them closely over the next 72 hours at the hospital, as part of a precautionary isolation period. With no cases or symptoms among them and our stringent monitoring and isolation measures, the risk to the public remains extremely low.

Symptoms of hantavirus can take weeks to appear after initial exposure, and some of the earliest signs can easily be dismissed as the flu or other common respiratory conditions. As the disease develops, it can rapidly progress to cause accumulation of fluid in the lungs, bleeding disorders or kidney failure depending on which strain a person has become ill with.

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