Two Irish women who were on board a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak are in good health and showing no symptoms of the virus, the Interim Chief Medical Officer has said.
The women returned to Ireland last night after being flown back on an Air Corps aircraft, accompanied by HSE medics.
The cruise ship arrived early yesterday morning near the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife where it anchored for the evacuation of the passengers and some of the crew.
All passengers on the MV Hondius are considered high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure, Europe's public health agency said yesterday as part of its rapid scientific advice.
Watch: Irish passengers evacuated from virus-hit cruise ship leave Baldonnel
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Interim CMO Professor Mary Horgan said both women are being cared for at a Health Service Executive facility where they will be tested and monitored for signs of infection and given psychological supports.
"They're in good spirits, they're in good health", she said, adding that neither have shown any symptoms.
She said the approach is to look after "the whole person, the physical and mental health, so all those supports will be in place".
Prof Horgan said she has no doubt that the women are "very glad to be back in Ireland", adding that the quarantine time is up to 42 days, with day zero being 1 May.
She said the treatment for hantavirus is supportive, which means that if people develop symptoms such as respiratory problems or kidney failure, they are supported in intensive care settings.
Hospital staff are ready in case either women develops any signs of infection, but Prof Horgan said she is hopeful this will not be needed given their current good health and lack of symptoms.
"The Mater Hospital has the National Isolation Unit. It has a team of experts - infectious diseases, intensive care - [and] nurses who are all trained up to deal with any potential issues that the two passengers may have."
Prof Horgan said the process by which passengers were transferred back to their own countries involved "really robust infection prevention and control".
The plan was always to try to repatriate people home as quickly as possible, she added, and said it is good that these people are back home where they can access the best possible care.
Prof Horgan said human-to-human transmission of the virus is very low and she did not see the virus transmitting in the community.
"This is not Covid, this is not influenza, this is not a pandemic and I think that's very important for the public to know."
