Hantavirus is typically spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings.
Photo: AFP
A hantavirus “contact” case has been quarantined in Pitcairn after a short transit in Tahiti over the weekend, French Polynesia’s local government says.
Arriving from San Francisco, the passenger, described as a US citizen, had briefly transited in Tahiti and Mangareva on 7 May 2026 (local time) “without neither local authorities nor the French State being informed”.
When local authorities became aware of the situation, French Polynesia’s government said they held an emergency meeting.
“The person concerned does not present any (hantavirus) symptom and is presently isolated in quarantine in Pitcairn,” the government said in a statement on Monday.
“She will not leave Pitcairn Island to transit via French Polynesia as long as she presents a potential risk to others.”
The statement said the government would continue to closely monitor the situation over the next five days regarding the evolution of the person’s condition.
Meanwhile, French Polynesia and France stand “ready to support Pitcairn in the coming days, should the need arise”.
Pitcairn Island, located East of French Polynesia, is a British Overseas Territory in the Pacific, with an estimated population of less than 50.
Most residents are descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers who settled there in 1790.
Returning from a cruise that started on the southernmost tip of South America [Ushuaia (Argentina) to Cape Verde], the passengers were transferred by boat to the island of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on 10 May.
Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers (who left the cruise ship MV Hondius before the outbreak was declared) have been confirmed to have been infected with hantavirus.
One of five French people flown back to France is showing symptoms of hantavirus, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday.
The infected case has since developed symptoms that later required intensive care, but have since stabilised.
“One of them showed symptoms in the repatriation plane,” Lecornu posted on X.
“These five passengers have immediately been placed in strict isolation until further notice …They are getting medical treatment and will undergo tests and a medical check-up.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that people evacuated from the cruise ship should quarantine for at least 42 days either at home or in hospital and undergo daily health checks.
WHO said the actual quarantine process is being managed by each individual country.
