Canadian health authorities have confirmed a positive case of hantavirus in British Columbia linked to the outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, officials said on Friday.
The infected person,
a passenger in their 70s, developed mild symptoms including fever and headache and was admitted to a hospital in Victoria for monitoring. Confirmatory tests are being carried out at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
The patient was among four Canadians who returned to British Columbia on May 10 after travelling on the MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak has already claimed three lives, including a Dutch couple and a German woman. The group had been isolating under medical supervision since their arrival.
British Columbia’s provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry said the patient remains stable and that there is no increased risk to the general public.
The patient’s partner tested negative but remains under observation in hospital, while another exposed individual has also been admitted for precautionary monitoring, the officer added.
The World Health Organization has recommended a 42-day quarantine period for passengers exposed to the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare variant that can spread between humans in limited cases.
