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Canadian from hantavirus cruise ship tests positive as the fallout from the doomed voyage keeps spreading
Another infection. Another country on edge. A Canadian WHO sailed on the MV Hondius has tested positive for Hantavirus. The individual is one of four people isolating on Vancouver Island. Symptoms are mild for now. But the diagnosis confirms what health officials feared. The virus did not stay at sea.
British Columbia’s senior health officer Bonnie Henry said the test came back presumptive positive on Friday. Confirmation from the national lab is still pending. She did not sugarcoat it. This is not what they hoped for. But it is exactly what they planned for.
The infected person is from Yukon. They are isolating alongside three others on Vancouver Island. Two more Canadians are self-isolating at home in Ontario. None of the other five have tested positive so far. Officials say none of the four on the island had any contact with the public after arriving in Canada.
Canadian from hantavirus cruise ship tests positive as total cases climb to eleven
The numbers keep ticking up. Eleven infections now confirmed. All among passengers of that single ship. Three people are dead. Two of those deaths are linked to the virus. The ship set sail from Argentina on April 1 carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries. It finally docked in Tenerife less than a week ago. People scattered. Isolation orders followed.
The WHO recommends 42 days of isolation for anyone exposed. The Canadians were initially told 21 days. That timeline may now be extended. Dr Henry stressed that hantavirus is not like Covid or influenza. It does not have pandemic potential. But the Andes Strain found in some passengers can spread between humans. That changes the calculation.
Symptoms start subtly. Fever. Extreme fatigue. Muscle aches. Then stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and shortness of breath can follow. The virus is usually carried by rodents. Officials believe some passengers contracted it in South America before boarding. The risk of a major outbreak remains low. But for the Canadians now watching their temperatures and waiting for the next test result, that statistic means very little.
