Hantavirus expert speaks on level of global pandemic risk

Professor Emma Thomson, from the University of Glasgow and head of the MRC Centre for Virus Research, spoke following a cluster of cases linked to a cruise ship in the South Atlantic.

She said: “It is very, very unlikely that something like this will turn into something akin to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Samples are being analysed from passengers who travelled on the MV Hondius, where at least 11 cases and three deaths have been reported.

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Coaches arriving at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside (Image: Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire)

Prof Thomson said it would “not be very surprising if we found one or two positive tests in the UK” but emphasised that the risk of wider transmission remains low.

She said cases could be “managed very easily with the existing facilities we have.”

The UK Health Security Agency confirmed it is repatriating 10 Britons connected to the outbreak, believed to be residents of the UK overseas territories of St Helen and Ascension.

They will complete their self-isolation in the UK as a “precautionary measure.”

Prof Thomson explained the outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only type known to spread between humans.

She said: “It is not nearly as transmissible as viruses such as measles. We don’t expect to see lots of cases of this virus, thankfully, but obviously the public health measures are really critical.”

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An aerial view of the MV Hondius Dutch cruise ship anchored in the Atlantic off Cape Verde (Image: Arilson Almeida/ PA)

She added that although the virus can cause severe illness, it historically results in only small, limited outbreaks, as seen previously in Argentina.

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for hantavirus.

Researchers at the MRC Centre are exploring whether existing antiviral drugs could be effective.

Professor Sir Peter Horby, director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford, said: “I believe the UKHSA, Foreign Office and NHS are taking all the right and necessary measures to protect the UK citizens involved in this challenging incident and to protect the broader UK population.

“Repatriation and isolation is the right thing to do, morally and scientifically.”

Prof Thomson said the MRC Centre will also investigate potential new therapies for the Andes virus.

She said: “Twenty of the passengers who were on the ship have been kind enough to sign up for research, so we can look into new solutions for this real problem.

“There are many gaps, as you know – there is no vaccine and there is no treatments.”