'I'm a doctor and this is what the latest hantavirus cruise ship data means'

As the 20 British passengers who were trapped on board a cruise ship where three people died from a deadly virus return home, a doctor has explained what investigations into the outbreak have revealed. So far 11 cases of hantavirus have been reported among people who were on board the MV Hondius, including three deaths. Nine of these have been confirmed, while the remaining two are suspected. Following the outbreak the ship sailed to Tenerife, where passengers were evacuated for treatment. The 20 Brits aboard the ship, as well as a German who is a UK resident and a Japanese passenger, were flown to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral on Sunday, where they will be housed for three days before being sent home. They will then be required to isolate for 42 days. If they cannot return home, alternative accommodation will be arranged. Now an A&E doctor has explained what the latest data from the outbreak has revealed. Dr Ahmed, who has more than 555,000 followers on TikTok , called the virology results "quite interesting". "Not only do they suggest that the virus did indeed come from a zoonotic source, meaning that it came from rat urine [or] droppings for the first two patients who were infected, but they also showed that everybody from the cruise ship who has since come back positive, every single genetic sequencing from the virus is exactly identical between them," he said. "What this means is that those people who have got infected on the ship itself later on, or have come up positive later on in other places, they all were infected from the same source, likely the same person, confirming in a smoking gun way that this was transmitted human to human. "While this information is important to know, the biggest questions are still unanswered, whether the virus has mutated enough to be more aerostable to transfer better and quicker between human to human, or is it just the cruise ship's unique kind of recycled air environment that allows this transfer to happen so quickly and so widely?" A French woman who tested positive for hantavirus is in intensive care in stable condition at a Paris hospital. One of 18 evacuated passengers flown to the US has also tested positive, but has no symptoms, while another had mild symptoms. One British man with hantavirus is still being cared for in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is thought to be improving, while another is in the Netherlands. Another British national who has been confirmed to have the virus is isolating at his home on the remote South Atlantic Island of Tristan da Cunha. Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), gave an update on the situation at a press briefing earlier today. He said: “Almost 150 people from 23 countries were on this ship for weeks, in what must have been a very frightening situation. Some of the passengers were facing mental breakdown." He added: “At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak. But of course, the situation could change. And given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.” As of Monday evening, the ship's operator Oceanwide Expeditions said 27 people remain on board, including 25 crew members and two medical staff. In a video message on Monday, captain Jan Dobrogowski thanked passengers and crew and said “the past few weeks have been extremely challenging to us all”. He added: “What touched me the most, what moved me the most, was your patience, your discipline, and also [the] kindness that you showed to each other throughout. I’ve witnessed your caring, your unity and quiet strength amongst everybody on board, guests and crew alike, and I must commend my crew for their courage and the selfless resolve they showed time and again in the most difficult moments. “I cannot imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike. Most importantly, our thoughts are with the ones that are no longer with us. Whatever I say will not ease this loss. I’d like you to know they are with us every day, in our hearts and our thoughts.” Strict infection control measures were in place throughout the journey to Arrowe Park, with passengers, crew, drivers and medical teams all wearing personal protective equipment such as face masks. The site has six storeys of self-contained flats with their own bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, kitchen and lounge facilities. Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said on Sunday the hospital would carry out “welfare checks on each individual”. She said if passengers develop symptoms, they will be taken to Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which houses the regional Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit.