NEWS
UKHSA supporting Britons affected by hantavirus
The UK Government has worked with international partners to ensure the safe return of all remaining British nationals on board MV Hondius – the cruise ship which saw an outbreak of hantavirus, with passengers now safely transferred to Arrowe Park Hospital. Twenty British nationals along with one German national, who is a UK resident, and one Japanese passenger from the MV Hondius are now being monitored at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. Passengers left the ship in the Canary Islands on Sunday 11 May and flew to the UK on a charter flight. Within a 72-hour period, these passengers received clinical assessments and testing. The UK Government repatriated the Japanese passenger at the request of the Japanese Government and they will complete their isolation in the UK in line with UKHSA guidance.
Blood test could find vascular disease earlier
A novel blood test for identifying damage to the lining of microscopic blood vessels could transform the ability to detect heart and kidney disease at its very earliest stages, suggests new research. Until now, monitoring the health of
the vast network of tiny blood vessels that supply vital organs with oxygen and nutrients has remained largely inaccessible to medicine. In this new study, published in Nature Communications, scientists show that damage to the lining of these microscopic blood vessels signals the earliest stages of heart and kidney disease, conditions that together account for one in three deaths worldwide. Previously, detecting this type of
vascular damage relied on invasive tissue biopsies and advanced microscopy techniques. In this breakthrough, a research team based at the University of Bristol demonstrate a new way to identify damage to the blood vessel lining by tracking changes in the sugar- and protein-rich coating on the surface of these vessels, known as the glycocalyx. This discovery paves the way for a simple blood test that could allow doctors to detect blood vessel damage and assess
After arrival at Arrowe Park, public
health specialists from UKHSA and infectious diseases specialists from the NHS assessed their current condition to determine where the passengers can suitably isolate. Passengers are to isolate for up to 45 days upon their return, with regular testing and care provided by NHS and UKHSA. During the isolation period, passengers will have daily contact with UKHSA health protection teams to check on their wellbeing and ensure that they are supported to isolate safely. The UK government will ensure those self- isolating are given appropriate support. Two British men with confirmed cases
of the disease are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa, while a third is being treated on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha. UKHSA has worked with the public
health teams in devolved administrations and UK Overseas Territories to trace any individuals who had potential high-risk contact with cases and will remain in close contact with these individuals for 45 days from the potential exposure.
a person’s risk of developing heart- and kidney-related diseases at an earlier stage than ever before. Together, these findings offer a completely new way to detect and monitor vascular disease through routine blood testing. Dr Mathew Butler, the study’s first
author, Consultant Senior Lecturer and MRC Clinician Scientist at the University of Bristol and Honorary Nephrology Consultant at North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), explains: “Our results suggest that we can use changes occurring at the surface of red blood cells to identify microscopic blood vessel damage before other markers become detectable. Most excitingly, we can also rapidly detect when drugs are effective at restoring the blood vessel lining.” The study was directly funded by the
Medical Research Council (MRC) and Kidney Research UK (KRUK). The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Diabetes UK funded one or more of the co-authors. Butler MJ, Ramnath RR, Crompton M, et al. Endothelial-erythrocyte glycocalyx exchange enables liquid biopsies of endothelial function. Nat Commun. 2026;17(1):3568. doi:10.1038/ s41467-026-71848-4
UK launch for LVOne stroke test
Upfront Diagnostics has announced the commercial launch of LVOne, a rapid blood test designed to help identify large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes in the pre-hospital seting. The test has received UKCA marking, enabling clinical use in the United Kingdom, and is now being deployed in partnership with London Ambulance Service (LAS). LVOne is designed to help paramedics identify patients likely experiencing severe stroke while still in the ambulance, allowing emergency teams to route those patients directly to specialist stroke centres capable of performing mechanical thrombectomy, a time-critical procedure that removes large clots from brain arteries. The first deployment will equip
approximately 280 London Ambulance Service vehicles serving North Central, North West, and North East London, covering a population of roughly 6.5 million people. During the six-month pilot,
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paramedics will test suspected stroke patients using the finger-prick blood test. Stroke treatment is highly time dependent. In patients with large vessel occlusion, mechanical thrombectomy can significantly improve outcomes, but only when performed quickly at specialised stroke centres. Many patients currently lose critical time due to not recognising the subtype of stroke early on. LVOne measures two blood biomarkers:
D-dimer, associated with clot formation; and GFAP, associated with bleeding in the brain; to help differentiate stroke types and identify patients likely experiencing LVO. The test is designed to deliver results in less than 10 minutes from a finger-prick blood sample. Paramedics participating in the pilot
will combine LVOne testing with existing pre-hospital stroke assessment and video triage tools to determine whether patients should be transported directly to London’s Hyper Acute Stroke Units (HASUs).
Stefan Brending, CC BY-SA 3.0
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