‘The risk to the general public remains very low.’ That has been the steady line from the UK Health Security Agency as Arrowe Park on the Wirral continues to hold a central place in the UK response to the hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, confirmed by the World Health Organization in early May. In its latest update, UKHSA said 10 people had now left Arrowe Park and returned home, or to other suitable accommodation, to complete their 45-day isolation, with further departures expected in the days ahead. For Merseyside, the striking point is how much of this national public health operation has run through a local NHS site. Professor Robin May, UKHSA’s chief scientific officer, said those still isolating and those now self-isolating at home had shown real patience through a difficult period, and he again thanked staff at Arrowe Park for the work they have put in.

The Wirral became the centre of the operation on 10 May, when passengers linked to the outbreak were transferred to Arrowe Park after the ship docked in Tenerife. UKHSA said 20 British nationals, one German national who lives in the UK and one Japanese passenger were brought to the site for assessment and testing under strict infection control measures. That did not mean everyone followed the same route. Two British nationals later returned to the United States on repatriation flights organised by the US authorities, another was due to travel on to Australia, and three British nationals were being treated outside the UK in the Netherlands, Tristan da Cunha and South Africa. From the outset, passengers were told to isolate for up to 45 days, with daily contact from health protection teams and decisions on home isolation taken case by case.

By 13 May, the response had started to shift from emergency reception to managed follow-up. Six people at Arrowe Park were cleared to continue isolating away from the hospital after negative PCR tests and individual public health assessments. That number rose to seven on 14 May, then again over the following days, reaching 10 in the most recent update. UKHSA has repeatedly said those who remained at Arrowe Park were asymptomatic, and it said testing of contacts had been negative for hantavirus. That matters on the Wirral as much as it does nationally: Arrowe Park’s role has been about careful monitoring, safe isolation and practical support, not public alarm.

The response has also stretched far beyond the North West. UKHSA, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and NHS teams have been working with St Helena and Ascension Island after passengers and contacts linked to the cruise had already reached the territories. Nine asymptomatic contacts from St Helena and Ascension were due to arrive in the UK on 17 May so they could complete self-isolation here and be closely monitored at Arrowe Park. A medic on Ascension Island who developed symptoms was flown separately to the High Consequence Infectious Disease unit at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust as a precaution. Officials were clear that this was not a confirmed case, but they also said hantavirus patients can become seriously unwell quickly and specialist care was not available on the island.

There has been international help too. On 18 May, UKHSA said Japan had supplied doses of the antiviral favipiravir to strengthen the UK’s preparedness in case infections were confirmed here. Health Minister Sharon Hodgson described that as a practical example of countries working together to protect people’s health, while UKHSA said the delivery added to treatment stocks during a still-moving situation. Earlier in the week, a rapid response mobile laboratory was sent to St Helena at the request of the island’s government. UKHSA said three members of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team travelled with it, including microbiologists to carry out PCR testing for hantavirus and an infection prevention specialist to support Jamestown General Hospital.

Officials have taken such a cautious line because hantavirus, while rare in people, can become serious very quickly. UKHSA describes it as a group of viruses carried by rodents and spread through droppings and urine, with illness ranging from flu-like symptoms to severe respiratory disease. Most strains do not spread easily between people, which is one reason the agency has continued to say the risk to the wider public is low. Even so, the measures have been tight. Chartered flights, dedicated transport, protective equipment, daily check-ins and lengthy isolation periods have all been used to reduce risk and keep people supported. It is a response involving Whitehall departments, overseas territories, international partners and specialist NHS units, but much of the visible work has happened on the Wirral.

Professor Robin May and Dr William Welfare have both gone out of their way in government updates to thank the people isolating at Arrowe Park and those now finishing the process at home. Their message has been consistent: cooperation from passengers has mattered, privacy should be respected, and the staff on the ground have handled a difficult job with professionalism. What happens next is less dramatic but no less important. More people are expected to leave Arrowe Park in stages and complete the rest of their 45-day isolation elsewhere, backed by daily contact from health protection teams around the country. For now, the latest government line has not shifted. Arrowe Park remains central to the operation, support is still in place for those directly affected, and the public risk remains very low.