Canadian cruise passenger tests positive.
Total cases linked to ship reach 11.
Hantavirus risk of outbreak low.
Atlas AI
A Canadian passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship tested presumptively positive for hantavirus on Friday, May 10, in British Columbia, Canada. This individual, one of four isolating on Vancouver Island after disembarking the vessel in Tenerife, Spain, developed mild symptoms. The case increases the total number of infections linked to the cruise to 11, all among passengers, with three fatalities reported previously, two of which were confirmed hantavirus cases.
The affected Canadian is from Yukon and had no public contact since arriving in Canada. The presumptive positive result awaits confirmation from a national microbiology lab. Six Canadians were aboard the Dutch-owned ship, which departed Argentina on April 1. Two are isolating in Ontario, and two couples, including the positive case, are isolating on Vancouver Island. The remaining five Canadians have not tested positive.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted by rodents, though human-to-human transmission of the Andes strain, believed to have infected some passengers in South America, is possible. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and respiratory issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 42-day isolation period for exposed individuals. Officials maintain that the risk of a widespread outbreak remains low.
