Lab tests confirm positive hantavirus case in Canadian cruise ship passenger

Health officials say one of the Canadians has not formally tested positive for the virus, but they are believed to be ‘presumptive positive.’ Kathy Le reports.

Lab tests confirm positive hantavirus case in Canadian cruise ship passenger  

Federal officials confirmed Canada’s first case of hantavirus linked to the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship on Sunday.

After one of the four passengers from the ship quarantining in B.C. developed symptoms on Thursday, and received a “presumptive positive” test on Friday, samples were sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg to confirm the results.

Read more: Cruise passenger isolating in B.C. has tested positive for hantavirus, top doctor says

The Public Health Agency of Canada says the sample came back positive for the Andes strain. The individual’s travel partner was also tested and is confirmed negative.

“There have been no further cases identified at this time. All high-risk contacts are isolating and will continue to be monitored closely by local public health,” the federal agency wrote in a statement.

The patient, a Yukon resident in their 70s, is being treated in a Victoria hospital, Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry said Saturday. Two other passengers, including the other member of the Yukon couple, are also in hospital. The fourth passenger is isolating at home.

The PHAC says the overall risk to Canadians from the Andes hantavirus outbreak remains low, and all confirmed cases so far have been passengers or crew on the MV Hondius.

“We want to thank public health authorities and frontline staff in British Columbia for the dedicated care that they are providing and for their ongoing management of the situation, and the passengers for their cooperation with public health direction to help keep others safe,” Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada’s chief public health officer, said in the statement.

Henry has repeatedly stressed that hantavirus is very different to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and is not considered to have “pandemic potential.”

So far, 12 worldwide cases of hantavirus have been linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, including the one Canadian. Three people have died.

On Thursday, Canada’s chief public health officer said 26 people from across the country who were considered low risk were asked to monitor for symptoms, while another nine, including the couple, were classified as high risk.

Those high-risk people in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. were asked to isolate, and were being monitored.

With files from The Canadian Press