'Small number' of Welsh residents linked to hantavirus outbreak

A "small number of Welsh residents" have been linked to the hantavirus outbreak.

Public Health Wales said those affected where either on board the ship or had contact with those who were but they were "not showing symptoms" and were "well".

There are currently no known cases of hantavirus in Wales and the risk to the general public is very low, it added.

The body is working with the Welsh Government, the UK Health Security Agency, Welsh health boards and local authorities to "take appropriate action".

A rare strain of antivirus broke out on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius as it sailed from Argentina to Cape Verde.

Three people died on the voyage and six people were evacuated to the UK.

In a statement, Public Health Wales confirmed it was "supporting a small number of Welsh residents linked with the hantavirus outbreak" who would receive "regular precautionary testing" and a "daily assessment for the duration of their self-isolation".

It said while hantavirus was a "serious infection", it was "not spread through everyday social contact", such as going to public spaces, shops, workplaces, or schools.

"In the rare instances where a person has caught the infection from another person, they have had close and prolonged contact with the individual who has been infected with hantavirus," it added.

They had already isolated at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, for 72 hours and tested negative for the virus.

Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents.

It can be found in some areas of Europe, Africa and Asia.

While most hantaviruses do not pass from person to person, rare instances of human transmission have been documented with the Andes virus strain.

How does hantavirus spread?

As hantaviruses are carried by rodents, infections in humans tend to occur in places where people and rodents co-exist.

People usually become infected by breathing in air contaminated with virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.

Transmission between people occurs only through close contact.

What are the symptoms of hantavirus?

In some cases, people develop severe breathing difficulties or low blood pressure and kidney failure, requiring hospital care.

How is hantavrius treated?

There is currently no widely available vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus infections.

Treatment is supportive and based on symptoms, such as hospital care and respiratory support.