Canadian Health Officials Report Presumptive Hantavirus Case Linked to Cruise Ship Outbreak
Canadian health authorities have reported a presumptive positive case of hantavirus in British Columbia. The individual, one of four Canadians quarantined after exposure on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, developed mild symptoms such as fever and headache. The patient and their partner, who tested negative, are currently in a Victoria hospital for monitoring. The test results are considered presumptive, pending confirmation from the national microbiology lab in Winnipeg. The other two individuals from the group are also under observation, with one in hospital and the other isolating at home. The outbreak on the MV Hondius has already resulted in three fatalities, including a Dutch couple and a German woman. The Pasteur Institute in France has sequenced the virus from a French passenger, finding it similar to known Andes virus strains in South America. 
