The Future Ai

The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

British passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius will undergo testing for hantavirus before being flown back to the United Kingdom, following a suspected outbreak linked to multiple deaths on the cruise ship.The Dutch vessel is expected to dock in Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Sunday, with the remaining 22 Britons set to return to the UK on a charter flight shortly afterwards.Spanish health officials will carry out virus testing on board the ship once it arrives. Passengers or crew members showing symptoms will be transferred to local hospitals for treatment, while those without symptoms are expected to board a chartered flight home the same day, the BBC reported.Officials said returning passengers would be asked to self-isolate and carry out regular testing for 45 days after arriving in the UK, although no legal enforcement measures are currently planned.Five confirmed cases of hantavirus have so far been identified in connection with the cruise, including one among the three passengers who died during the voyage.Two British nationals with confirmed infections are currently receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa. A third Briton is also being treated for a suspected case on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the ship stopped in April.One of the British patients, 56-year-old expedition guide Martin Anstee, was medically evacuated to the Netherlands earlier this week alongside a Dutch crew member and a German national. He remains in a stable condition.Another British passenger, aged 69, remains in intensive care in South Africa after being evacuated from the ship at the end of April, though officials said his condition has improved.The two other Britons who previously disembarked from the vessel in St Helena are already self-isolating voluntarily in the UK despite showing no symptoms.Health officials are continuing contact tracing efforts involving passengers who left the ship before the outbreak was officially identified on the 4th May.The World Health Organization has described the situation as a “serious incident” but said the overall risk to the wider public remains low.Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents, including rats and mice, though experts believe some cases linked to the cruise may involve close human-to-human transmission.Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, vomiting, abdominal pain, and breathing difficulties, usually developing within two to four weeks after exposure.