Two British nationals have been confirmed with hantavirus infection, while a third suspected case has been reported on the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday.
The UK Health Security Agency said none of the British citizens currently onboard the cruise ship MV Hondius are showing symptoms, though they are being closely monitored.
The agency added that all British passengers and crew onboard will be asked to isolate for 45 days after returning to Britain, according to Xinhua news agency.
British government staff will also be present to assist British nationals disembarking when the ship docks in Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday.
Officials said seven British nationals had earlier disembarked the vessel at St Helena island on April 24.
Two of them have returned to Britain and are currently isolating at home without showing any symptoms.
Four individuals remain in St Helena, while the seventh person has been traced outside Britain.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that five of the eight cases reported onboard the MV Hondius had been laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections, while the remaining three were considered suspected cases.
The WHO also clarified that the hantavirus outbreak onboard the cruise ship is not “the start of a COVID pandemic” and maintained that the public health risk remains low.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the outbreak as a “Level 3” emergency, which is considered the lowest alert level, according to ABC News.
The classification indicates a low public health risk, although the situation continues to be actively monitored by health authorities.
With Inputs From IANS