Woman isolating on British island in South Pacific after hantavirus contact

A pistillate is isolating connected the Pitcairn Islands, a distant British Overseas Territory successful the South Pacific, aft travelling connected a hantavirus-hit cruise ship.

A section authorities spokesperson told the BBC the idiosyncratic "had interaction with a hantavirus-exposed individual" but was "showing nary signs of illness".

The UK overseas bureau said it was "aware of an idiosyncratic from the MV Hondius who has travelled connected to the Pitcairn Islands".

Officials said she was not a suspected lawsuit and the hazard to the nationalist was low.

The pistillate had flown from San Francisco connected 7 May and travelled done the land of Tahiti and past Mangareva successful French Polynesia, the French Polynesian authorities said.

No details person been released astir erstwhile and wherever she near the cruise and travelled to the US.

Three radical person died aft travelling connected the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius ship. Two of them were confirmed microorganism cases. The 3rd had earlier developed symptoms and is believed to person been the archetypal infected successful the outbreak, but died earlier helium could beryllium tested.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the UN planetary wellness agency, has since confirmed 9 cases, with 2 others suspected.

But helium warned that "the concern could change" and determination could beryllium much confirmed microorganism cases.

Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents, but quality transmission of the Andes strain - which the WHO believes immoderate of the ship's passengers contracted successful South America - is possible.

Symptoms tin see fever, utmost fatigue, musculus aches, tummy pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.

The pistillate - who has not been publically named - was presently isolating connected Pitcairn, the lone inhabited of the 4 volcanic islands of the British Overseas Territory.

The British overseas bureau told the BBC it was coordinating with the section authorities and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) "to negociate the risks to the idiosyncratic and the islanders".

UKHSA said the magnitude of isolation for adjacent contacts of cases, which those connected the vessel are considered to be, is 45 days.

It is not yet wide erstwhile the UK authorities oregon section authorities were made alert of the case.

Speaking to the BBC, the Pitcairn authorities spokesperson said: "We are moving intimately with the wellness authorities and the UK authorities to negociate the situation.

"The wellbeing of our assemblage remains the apical priority."

The Pitcairn Islands has a colonisation of astir 50 radical and astir of the residents are descendants of mutineers from the Royal Navy warship HMS Bounty who settled determination successful 1790.

Meanwhile, the French Polynesian authorities said the pistillate had transited done without notifying "territorial and nationalist authorities". Authorities held an exigency gathering connected Sunday and decided not to let the pistillate present isolating connected Pitcairn to re-enter French Polynesia.

"Although she is presently wholly asymptomatic and truthful not contagious, (she) volition not permission Pitcairn Island to question done French Polynesia arsenic agelong arsenic she poses a hazard to others," it said.

French Polynesia said passengers connected the aforesaid formation arsenic the pistillate from San Francisco to Tahiti were not considered adjacent contacts and "the hazard of corruption is considered precise low".

The MV Hondius had been carrying 147 passengers and unit from 23 countries aft departing from Ushuaia, confederate Argentina, connected 1 April.

A 70-year-old Dutch antheral was the archetypal rider who died connected committee the vas connected 11 April.

His 69-year-old woman near the vessel connected 24 April connected the land of St Helena and flew to South Africa. She died 2 days aboriginal successful a session successful Johannesburg.

A German pistillate died connected committee the cruise vessel connected 2 May.

Both women were confirmed cases.

The MV Hondius near Spain's Tenerife land connected Monday, and is expected to get to the Dutch metropolis of Rotterdam connected 17 May.

British service medics parachuted onto different distant British Overseas Territory, the southbound Atlantic land of Tristan da Cunha, to assistance a British nonmigratory with suspected hantavirus who disembarked determination connected 14 April.

Additional reporting by Jaroslav Lukiv