UK sends paratroopers toward suspected hantavirus patient on remote island

©Ryuno via Unsplash

The United Kingdom is sending military paratroopers to a remote island to assist in the care of a suspected hantavirus patient. The Dutch cruise ship has meanwhile docked in the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, after which authorities are holding a controlled evacuation and repatriation of passengers on Sunday and Monday.

An outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome has been detected on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, possibly due to hantavirus. Three passengers have since died, including a Dutch couple and a Briton.

British military paratroopers incidentally landed on the remote British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha on Sunday morning to provide crucial medical support. The operation follows a suspected hantavirus infection in a resident of the island, who went on a cruise on the ship Hondius.

The military medical team consists of six paratroopers and two army doctors. They were dropped over the island, where oxygen supplies and medical equipment were also delivered by air. The British Ministry of Defense describes the action as "life-saving assistance" in an extremely isolated environment.

Located in the South Atlantic, Tristan da Cunha is the most remote of Britain's overseas territories. The island is home to only 221 residents and does not have an airport. Access is generally only by boat. Therefore, the limited infrastructure and distance from the mainland make such air operations critical in the event of a medical emergency.

Several confirmed hantavirus infections have now been reported, including several deaths, and the virus is being investigated as a rare Andean variant with a relatively high mortality rate. In all, there are eight suspected infections, six of which have already been identified. Sick passengers have already been evacuated from the ship, but Spanish authorities are thus taking absolutely no chances with those remaining on board.

©Ryuno via Unsplash - illustration image