Canada cruise passenger tests presumptive positive for hantavirus
The patient was among four Canadians on the hantavirus-affected vessel, which departed Argentina on 1 April and was crossing the Atlantic Ocean when the outbreak of the uncommon rodent-borne illness emerged.
A rare disease outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has reached Canada, where public health officials say a “high risk” passenger from the cruise ship has tested “presumptive positive” for the Andes hantavirus.
The patient was among four Canadians on the hantavirus-affected vessel, which departed Argentina on 1 April and was crossing the Atlantic Ocean when the outbreak of the uncommon rodent-borne illness emerged.
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In a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada said authorities in British Columbia, the country’s westernmost province, “reported that one of the four high risk individuals who was self-isolating and being monitored for symptoms has tested presumptive positive for Andes hantavirus.”
The Andes strain is the only form of hantavirus known to pass from person to person.
Officials said the patient and their spouse, who reported minor symptoms, were taken to hospital on Friday and will remain in isolation there.
“Out of an abundance of caution, a third individual who was in secure lodging for isolation has been transferred to hospital for assessment and testing,” the statement said.
Final test results confirming whether the patient has hantavirus were expected within the next couple of days.
“The overall risk to the general population in Canada from the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship remains low at this time,” the public health agency stressed.
There are no vaccines or specific treatments for hantavirus, though health officials have rejected comparisons between the outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic.
