NEED TO KNOW
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A Canadian who was on the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus, as confirmed by health officials.
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One of four Canadians who returned from the ship last week received a “presumptive positive” result, the Public Health Agency of Canada stated, noting that additional tests will be conducted.
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This positive test marks the first case of the disease associated with the cruise in North America and the tenth overall.
A Canadian who traveled on the MV Hondius has tested positive for hantavirus, marking a significant event as it’s the first case linked to the cruise in North America.
On May 17, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed that one of the four Canadians returning from the ship had received a “presumptive positive” result. They mentioned that follow-up testing is planned at the National Microbiology Lab.
In their statement, the agency indicated, “One individual’s sample was confirmed positive for hantavirus.”
Another individual who traveled with the confirmed case has tested negative. Both are in their 70s, from the Yukon, and currently hospitalized in Victoria.
The remaining two Canadians include a person in their 70s from Vancouver Island and another from British Columbia in their 50s, who lives abroad. Currently, all four are isolated.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, noted the concerns surrounding such news. She reassured the public that hantavirus differs significantly from other respiratory viruses such as COVID, influenza, and measles, emphasizing it lacks pandemic potential.
Henry also pointed out that the Canadian cruise passengers did not interact with the public upon their return to Victoria International Airport before being admitted to the hospital on May 10.
Initially, the four were supposed to isolate for at least 21 days, but health officials are reassessing those requirements now following the positive test result.
Since the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius began last month, there have been three fatalities. The Canadian patient is the tenth individual to test positive from the cruise.
The deceased are believed to be a Dutch couple and a German national, with reports of another individual still receiving treatment in a South African intensive care unit.
Despite the situation, the Public Health Agency of Canada has stated that the overall risk to the general population remains low. They reiterated that all confirmed cases have either been passengers or crew from the MV Hondius.
The MV Hondius originally set out with around 150 people on board, departing from Argentina on April 1 and stopping at various locations, including Antarctica and the Canary Islands.
On May 11, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced that 18 American passengers from the MV Hondius had returned to the U.S.
Of these, 16 individuals were quarantined at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, while two were sent to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
Hantavirus is generally spread through rodents. It is transmitted to humans typically through bites or contact with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected animals.
However, for the Andes strain responsible for the current outbreak, human-to-human transmission can occur during prolonged close contact, especially in the earlier stages of infection.
