As we reported earlier, the UK Health Security Agency said all British passengers and crew who were on board the MV Hondius will be asked to isolate for 45 days upon returning to the UK.
A professor at the University of Brussels has said the measures “appear cautious but proportionate and evidence-based”.
“For the general public in the UK, the risk remains very low,” Piet Maes said.
“The current measures are targeted specifically at a well-defined exposed group and should not be interpreted as an indication of broader community risk or expected widespread transmission.
“Approaches to monitoring exposed contacts have varied historically across endemic regions in South America, with some protocols using follow-up periods of approximately three to four weeks depending on the exposure risk.”
Maes said an important aspect will be active follow-up during the monitoring period.
“Clinical monitoring combined with appropriately timed laboratory testing, including molecular testing where feasible, may help support early detection should additional infections occur,” he added.
“Overall, these measures seem sensible and precautionary, with the aim of identifying any potential secondary cases early while keeping the risk to the wider public very low.”
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