Brit passenger evacuated from MV Hondius cruise breaks silence after exposure to hantavirus

A British man who was evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken cruise broke his silence on Wednesday. Martin Anstee, who was evacuated from the MV Hondius, has told Sky News he was "doing okay" but doesn't know how long he'll be in hospital. The 56-year-old told Sky News: "I'm doing okay. I'm not feeling too bad. There are still lots of tests to be done. "I have no idea how long I’ll be in the hospital for. I'm in isolation at the moment." Mr Anstee worked as an expedition guide on board the Dutch-flagged ship. He was evacuated by medical flight this morning, along with two others. Two other people who returned independently to the UK from the cruise ship have also been told to self-isolate, the UK Health Security Agency said, adding that “the risk to general public remains very low”. The World Health Organisation has said the number of confirmed hantavirus cases has now risen to five. The results, which have been confirmed by lab tests, include two passengers who were evacuated today. There were previously three confirmed cases and five more suspected, with three people having died. The overall number of cases, eight, is not thought to have changed, with lab tests confirming the presence of the hantavirus in previously suspected cases. However, Spanish health minister Monica Garcia has confirmed that all the passengers currently on the MV Hondius are asymptomatic. The ship will now continue to the Canary Islands where passengers will be checked for signs of infection before being repatriated if they are deemed healthy. In an update posted online, Spanish health authorities said that the ship is expected to arrive within 72 to 96 hours. Officials said that passengers will be disembarked in a “controlled” way with “direct transfer from the port to the airport and subsequent return to their countries of origin, avoiding at all times transit through spaces open to the general population”.