Residents of Tristan da Cunha are holding their breath
Medical personnel have now been airlifted.
“It was the only way to get vital care to the patient in time,” writes the British Ministry of Defense.
Quick version
- A person on Tristan da Cunha has symptoms of hantavirus, which has led to military medical personnel being airlifted to provide care.
- Passengers and staff from the cruise ship MV Hondius, where the virus previously broke out, have been evacuated after disembarking on the island.
- The British government has sent a military specialist team to ensure sufficient medical care on the isolated island.
Passengers and crew members on the cruise ship MV Hondius have now been evacuated and sent home to their respective countries. Several have already left the boat, including the Dutch couple who first died of the virus and who were suspected of being “patient zero.”
Two Britons returned home early from the cruise, after showing symptoms, and are currently isolating in the UK.
A third suspected British case of hantavirus is suspected on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha. This after staff and passengers from the boat went ashore there on April 14, as Aftonbladet previously reported.
The small island, 2,500 kilometers southwest of St. Helena, is home to 216 people. The inhabitants live mainly on lobster fishing.
The island has been described as the world's most isolated.
The infected ship MV Hondius anchored near the remote British territory after a passenger had already died from the virus, and crew and passengers went ashore and socialized with the islanders.
Passengers and crew from the cruise ship crowded into the local pub and even visited a school on the island, which is considered the world's most remote inhabited island.
Two paratroopers made a tandem jump with an intensive care doctor and an intensive care nurse and landed on the golf course. Photo: British Ministry Of Defence Via AP
According to The Sun, the British government is under a lot of stress after learning about the suspected case of the disease on Tristan da Cunha. A specialist military team has therefore been sent to airdrop medical personnel and supplies on the island.
Tristan da Cunha has no runway and is normally only accessible by boat. A team of six paratroopers and two military medics jumped from a military aircraft.
More oxygen and other medical supplies were also dropped at the same time.
“As the oxygen supply on the island was at a critical level, an air landing with medical personnel was the only method of getting vital care to the patient in time,” the British Ministry of Defense said.
Two more batches of supplies are pending. In total, 3.3 tons of medical equipment and supplies will be delivered.
The volcanic island of Tristan da Cunha has been described as the world's most isolated.
The warning: “Do not visit the hospital”
The ministry further stated that the operation will “ensure the resilience of the island's healthcare system by supporting Tristan da Cunha's two-person strong medical team.”
The island's website highlights the government's aid efforts.
“This is the first time ever that an aircraft has flown low over Tristan to drop emergency supplies, making it an extra special event. The supplies and medical personnel that the air landing brought with it will provide much-needed support to our hard-working medical team,” it writes.
Hondius was met by a large press contingent on site at the port in Tenerife. Photo: Niclas Hammarström
It concludes by thanking the team of military and medical personnel who arrived.
“A special thank you must go to the brave team who jumped onto the golf course (...) Thanks must also go to everyone on Tristan who did everything they could at short notice to ensure that our special visitors were accommodated, fed and given a warm welcome.”
The website also states reassuringly that the risk of a major spread of infection is currently low, but at the same time it issues a warning.
"However, as an extra precaution, you should contact the hospital for advice if you develop a high fever (over 38 degrees), but please DO NOT VISIT the hospital in person."
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