Hantavirus fears soar – evacuated Britons ‘isolated’ next to families | UK | News
Passengers arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside (Image: 2026 Anadolu/Getty Images)
Concerns over a hantavirus outbreak are growing as 22 Britons evacuated from the infected rat-infested cruise ship MV Hondius are being housed at a Merseyside facility just a short distance from families of premature babies and patients in intensive care.
Britons evacuated from the ill-fated ship at the center of an international health scandal on Monday (May 11) were required to enter a 42-day isolation period on their return to the UK, starting with a 72-hour stay at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.
While the medical evacuation was a relief for those trapped on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship, Merseyside residents were left deeply uneasy as concerns grew that the deadly Hantavirus could breach containment measures.
Fears of the pandemic have hit particularly close to home for new mother Kim Childs, who has been staying in hospital near the Wirral facility for the past month to stay close to her premature daughter, who remains treated in Arrowe Park’s intensive care unit (ICU).
The 32-year-old recently found himself with new neighbors when evacuees from the mouse virus-infected ship were placed in adjoining rooms. Not only is she worried about her daughter’s fragile state, she also fears she may inadvertently expose her vulnerable child to infection after being housed next to isolating cruise passengers.
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It appears that the only thing separating him from potential Hantavirus exposure was a taped door.
“I have a baby in intensive care. He was born prematurely at 14 weeks and has breathing problems. If I catch this disease, I will infect all the babies in intensive care,” she told The Telegraph.
“It takes time to catch the virus. We won’t know if we’ve caught something until it’s too late,” he said, adding: “I’m very worried.”
The 32-year-old mother claimed residents of the Wirral building were “semi-adrift” by health authorities and were not provided with any personal protective equipment or masks to protect themselves from the virus, which has already claimed the lives of three passengers.
To further complicate the matter, it was learned that the new mother only discovered on Sunday that passengers exposed to the virus would be moved next door.
“If they had told us before, we could have made other arrangements. They let us down. They didn’t tell us anything,” he said.
With his daughter required to remain in hospital for the next 10 weeks, he and his partner Matthew Blythin find themselves stranded as traveling back and forth from their home in Chester is simply not possible.
TENERIFE, SPAIN – MAY 10: Workers wearing protective gear arrive after the MV Hondius docks at Granadilla Port in Tenerife, part of Spain’s Canary Islands, on May 10, 2026. The MV Hondius cruise ship, whose three passengers died of Hantavirus last month and eight more cases were reported, is expected to arrive in Tenerife on Sunday, May 10, where the remaining passengers will be repatriated. At a press conference this week, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that the emergence of this rare virus does not constitute a pandemic but has raised concerns in the Canary Islands and elsewhere. (Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
“We have to live here, we have no choice,” he said, explaining that returning to their own room in hospital accommodation had become increasingly problematic, with the couple now confronted by security personnel every time they tried to enter the heavily guarded building.
“Our names are not on the list so we have to argue every time,” he added.
He’s not the only local with concerns; Residents from across Merseyside share similar fears about the spread of hantavirus infection.
Jackie Edwards, 59, from Birkenhead, told The Telegraph she believed authorities were underestimating the danger posed by the virus.
Speaking outside Wirral hospital, she said: “I think they’re keeping a lot of this under wraps. I’d be worried if they started dropping like flies.”
First virus cases reported on cruise ship MV Hondius (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Chester resident Alexander Ward described the arrival of cruise ship passengers as frightening. “I’m not very happy either. I have pneumonia, so it could affect my life,” he said.
The 27-year-old roofer had been in the hospital for four days when he learned the cruise ship passengers would be staying with him.
He discovered this when buses carrying exposed people arrived. “If he’s flying overhead, which it looks like he is, then he could kill me.
“If it leaked, it could kill many patients,” he said, adding: “They should be on an island.”
