The British Royal Air Force has implemented movie-like means by parachuting a doctor and a nurse onto Tristan da Cunha Island. This overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, very isolated, has no airport and is only accessible by sea. The operation aimed to urgently assist a severely ill man suspected of being infected with the hantavirus.
“The army doctors were sent by plane over 11,000 kilometers from [the Royal Air Force base at] Brize Norton to the most isolated inhabited island to support the two doctors of Tristan da Cunha, tired and short of supplies,” reports Courier International, citing The Sunday Telegraph.
The sick person was on board the Hondius, the cruise ship hit by this deadly virus. After showing initial symptoms, his condition deteriorated and he was placed on respiratory support. Due to insufficient medical equipment, the officials of the 221-inhabitant island then requested assistance from the UK military. After a risky operation due to unpredictable winds, the man was finally rescued by six paratroopers and two doctors. This is the first time the British military has parachuted medical personnel to provide humanitarian aid, according to the Ministry of Defense, as cited by the BBC. The BBC specifies that the man is now in isolation in stable condition.
Read more on 20minutes.
Also read: Hantavirus: What is known about the French passenger in critical condition after contracting the virus Hantavirus: Eighteen American passengers, including one positive case, have been repatriated to the United States.
