SouthernWorldwide.com – Canadian health officials have confirmed a case of hantavirus in one of the four Canadians who returned from the MV Hondius cruise ship. This ship is currently at the center of an international Andes hantavirus outbreak that has tragically resulted in three passenger deaths.
The Public Health Agency of Canada announced the positive test result on Sunday. This confirmation followed an earlier description of the case as a “presumptive positive” by British Columbia’s top public health officer.
“One individual’s sample was confirmed positive for hantavirus,” stated the agency in an official release.
Further testing is scheduled to be conducted at a national laboratory. The purpose of this additional testing, whether for confirmation, strain characterization, or other reasons, was not immediately specified.
The confirmation comes as global health authorities continue to closely monitor the rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius, which has affected multiple passengers.
As of May 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 11 cases had been identified in relation to the cruise outbreak. These included eight confirmed cases, two probable cases, and one inconclusive case. Tragically, three individuals associated with the outbreak had died.
The Associated Press later reported that the Canadian confirmation brought the total number of individuals from the ship who had tested positive for the virus to ten.
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Canadian health officials confirmed that four Canadians had returned home from the MV Hondius. However, only one of these individuals has tested positive for hantavirus.
The confirmed patient and their traveling companion, identified as a Yukon couple in their 70s, had returned from the cruise together. Officials noted that the companion subsequently tested negative for the virus.
Currently, a third individual in their 70s from Vancouver Island remains in isolation. A British Columbia resident in their 50s is also in isolation.
As of the latest reports, no confirmed U.S. cases directly linked to the cruise ship outbreak have been announced. However, the WHO indicated on May 13 that one U.S.-repatriated passenger had inconclusive laboratory results and was undergoing retesting.
In a separate development last week, health officials in Ontario County, New York, announced they were investigating a suspected locally acquired hantavirus case. This case is reportedly unrelated to the cruise ship outbreak.
The Ontario County Public Health Department assured the public that there was no risk to the general population. Officials also clarified that the hantavirus strain typically seen in the United States is not known to spread from person to person.
The outbreak associated with the MV Hondius began after the Dutch cruise ship, carrying 147 passengers and crew members, departed Argentina on April 1 for a voyage in the South Atlantic.
The outbreak has led to increased precautionary measures internationally. In the Netherlands, Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 staff members. This action was taken after officials stated that a hantavirus patient’s blood and urine were not handled with the strictest protocols recommended for the virus strain.
Experts emphasize that hantavirus is generally difficult to transmit.
One expert noted that the virus is not airborne in the sense of respiratory droplets remaining suspended in the air. He further explained that transmission is considered very difficult.
While coronavirus spread significantly among humans, hantavirus has not, with the exception of “very rare” instances of human-to-human transmission, the expert added.
The World Health Organization has assessed the risk to the global population as low. However, they have also noted that current evidence suggests subsequent human-to-human transmission may have occurred on board the MV Hondius. The Andes virus is the only hantavirus strain known to have documented person-to-person transmission, though such occurrences are considered infrequent.
Dr. Marc Siegel also pointed out that hantavirus cases have been reported in the United States for many decades, though they continue to be “very rare.”
