Military personnel travel 9,800 km and jump on the remote island, between America and Africa, to contain a possible hantavirus outbreak
A UK military operation brought doctors and emergency supplies to the island of Tristan da Cunha, in the South Atlantic, after the confirmation of a suspected case of hantavirus in the British overseas territory. The action included the airdrop of paratroopers and medical teams to treat a patient who was in isolation on the island. The information was released by .
According to the British Ministry of Defense, 6 paratroopers from the 16th Air Assault Brigade and 2 military doctors jumped from an RAF A400M plane, used by the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. The aircraft traveled around 6,800 km between the Brize Norton air base, in England, and Ascension Island, before continuing another 3,000 km to Tristão da Cunha.
In addition to the medical teams, oxygen cylinders and hospital equipment were sent. The British government stated that oxygen supplies on the island were at a critical level, which made airdrops the only viable alternative to guarantee timely patient care.
According to British health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO), the suspected case involves a passenger on a cruise ship that docked on the island between April 13 and 15. The man presented symptoms compatible with hantavirus on April 28 and remains in stable condition, isolated.
The Ministry of Defense declared that this was the first time that the British military had carried out a humanitarian mission sending health professionals via parachute jump.
WHAT IS HANTAVIRUS
Hantavirus is a strain of virus transmitted by rodents. Hantavirus contamination occurs mainly through inhalation of particles suspended in the air from dried rodent feces. According to the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), infections usually happen when the virus is airborne from a rodent’s urine, feces or saliva. Transmission can also occur through rodent bites or scratches, although this is rarer.
DISEASES CAUSED BY HANTAVIRUS
Hantavirus can cause two serious illnesses. HPS (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome) usually begins with fatigue, fever and muscle pain. Symptoms progress to headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems. According to the CDC, when respiratory symptoms develop, the mortality rate is approximately 35%.
The 2nd most common disease in the world caused by hantavirus is HFRS (Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome). It is more serious and mainly affects the kidneys. Later symptoms may include low blood pressure, internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure.
TRISTAN DA CUNHA
Tristan da Cunha is considered the most remote inhabited island in the world. The territory, which has around 200 residents, is located between South Africa and South America, more than 2,400 km from the nearest inhabited island, Saint Helena. Without an airport, access is normally only by boat, on trips that can last up to 6 days.
Before the operation, PCR tests had already been transported by military planes to Ascension Island. Another passenger from the same cruise disembarked at the scene and was later transferred to South Africa for medical care.
The commander of the 16th Air Assault Brigade, Brigadier Ed Cartwright, stated that the arrival of teams and supplies “must have reassured” the island’s residents faced with the health emergency.
