A Busy Week at RSM HQ...

It’s been a very busy week at Red Square Medical HQ, since the news broke about a number of deaths related to illness onboard a cruise ship.

The situation has developed through the week and the latest reassurance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and despite a near media frenzy, is that this is NOT the start of a pandemic. 

Hantavirus cases do NOT mean another pandemic

On all cruise ships, the priority from a medical perspective is to protect the guests and crew. Our job at Red Square Medical is to implement a tried and tested Outbreak Prevention and Response Plan (OPRP) for the ships we look after, and where needed, respond to global developments to provide any additional information and guidance to the medical teams and crew onboard. 

The OPRP protocol guides in early detection, transmission prevention, management monitoring and reporting of any outbreak onboard.

An OPRP will already cover acute gastroenteritis and acute respiratory illnesses specifically, as these are the two most common outbreaks on any ship. But by Monday afternoon, our onboard teams had a comprehensive guide to managing any suspected Hantavirus illness onboard, together with background information about the different viruses in the Hantavirus group, how it transmits, how to diagnose it, what would need to be reported and to whom. 

Behind the scenes, we worked with our Microbiology consultancy and the leadership teams associated with the vessels we are responsible for, to ensure information was provided quickly and accurately.It also turned out that our team were in demand as spokespeople and actually had to turn down a number of radio interviews, though Liz did feature on BBC Radio 2 and Rachel on BBC World Service.Our thoughts are with all those involved in this incidence of Hantavirus, but we head into the next few days confident that our teams are fully informed and can reassure our guests. 

We also know that in a post-COVID world, we all understand the importance of reporting symptoms and taking standard precautions to protect ourselves and others. In terms of public health, we all have a part to play and be proactive in preventing, or managing any suspected outbreaks, whatever the cause.