The UK receives experimental Japanese drug to manage hantavirus crisis

The UK has received an experimental drug from Japan that could be used for patients with hantavirus, amid international efforts to contain the outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius. This was reported by Reuters.

The medication is not yet officially approved for mass use, but British health authorities plan to use it in severe cases as part of the emergency response against the virus.

The decision comes after dozens of passengers and crew members from the ship were placed under observation and quarantine in various countries, and three people died after contracting the Andes strain of hantavirus.

According to experts, the Andes virus is the only known strain of hantavirus that, in rare cases, can be transmitted between humans through close and prolonged contact.

Hantavirus can cause severe hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) – a dangerous lung disease with a high mortality rate, reaching up to 50% in some cases.

There is currently no approved specific treatment or vaccine for the disease, and therapy is primarily based on intensive care and supportive treatment.

The lack of effective therapies is one of the reasons British authorities sought access to the experimental Japanese drug.

According to health authorities, the medication will be available for patients at high risk of severe progression if their condition worsens.

Meanwhile, health agencies continue to emphasize that the risk to the general public remains low and that the virus does not spread easily between people.

Following the evacuation from the Canary Islands, most passengers from the MV Hondius have already returned to their home countries, where they have been placed under medical observation and quarantine for up to 42 days due to the virus’s long incubation period.