LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) – British health authorities said on Tuesday that 10 people from remote British island territories who were contacts of individuals in the hantavirus outbreak will be brought to the UK for precautionary isolation.
The UK Health Security Agency said the individuals were already isolating and not showing symptoms. The move was intended purely as a precaution, it said.
The outbreak has been linked to the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, which travelled through the South Atlantic and made stops at several places. The 10 people being transferred to Britain are from the overseas territories of Saint Helena island and Ascension Island.
According to the cruise company’s website, 32 guests and one crew member disembarked from the vessel at Saint Helena and two guests had a medical evacuation via Ascension Island.
The British government did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the identities of the people.
The health agency added that the risk to the wider public remained very low and said it would continue contact tracing and monitoring of people linked to the ship.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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