A British hantavirus patient who is isolating in hospital after being dramatically rescued from the cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak has said he is “doing okay”, but still needs more tests.
Martin Anstee, 56, was an expedition guide on board the MV Hondius, the vessel that has been hit by the pathogen that is carried by rodents.
The former police officer is currently at a hospital in the Netherlands and told Sky News he has “no idea how long I’ll be in hospital for.”
“I’m in isolation at the moment,” he added.
However, he did not say what symptoms he was experiencing and hopes to “have a clearer picture” later this week.
The virus is typically spread by rodents through their droppings, saliva and urine, but in rare cases this particular strain, the Andean strain, can spread between humans.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said it was a “good sign” the British man being treated in the Netherlands was able to communicate with family.
He told BBC Breakfast: “He is going to be under investigation for some time, obviously, but I’m very pleased that he’s now in hospital and receiving the treatment he needs.”
Three people have so far died and the number of confirmed hantavirus cases has now risen to five, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
The UKHSA said people may need to isolate for up to eight weeks, but reassured the risk to the public “remains very low”.
Two people who were on board the ship and returned to the UK are self isolating, but are not showing any symptoms, according to UKHSA. Another Briton is in hospital in South Africa.
“There are two UK nationals who left the cruise earlier, as often happens on cruises of course, people join for parts of it. Before this outbreak was detected, they returned back to the UK,” Prof May added.
“But obviously there’s a chance they may have been exposed to the virus. So we have been in contact with them. They have agreed very kindly to self-isolate for the next period of time.
“We’re working very closely with them to monitor them, obviously, and to support them and their families until we know they have the all clear. And actually, that’s the process we’ll be using when the other British nationals on board return home, hopefully in a couple of days’ time too.”
A couple’s bird watching trip while in Argentina may explain how the virus got onto the ship, officials investigating the outbreak said. The pair may have been exposed to infected rodents while birdwatching at a landfill site in Ushuaia.
