Canadian Passenger Contracts Hantavirus After Cruise on MV Hondius
A Canadian passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for Andes virus, bringing confirmed infections to 11 with three deaths reported. The Yukon resident is being treated in a British Columbia hospital alongside their spouse,
Canadian authorities announced on May 16 that a Canadian passenger aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak occurred, tested preliminary positive for Andes virus, bringing the total confirmed infections on the vessel to 11. All infected individuals are passengers on the ship.
The MV Hondius departed from Argentina on April 1 before the hantavirus outbreak occurred on board. To date, three passengers have died, with two deaths confirmed as hantavirus-related.
Of the six Canadians aboard the Dutch-registered ship, two are quarantining at home in Ontario, while two couples are isolated on Vancouver Island—one from British Columbia and another from Yukon, with the Yukon resident being the one who tested positive. The five other patients have not tested positive as of now.
According to British Columbia's health authority, among four high-risk contacts, one tested preliminary positive for Andes virus with mild symptoms. However, confirmation from the national microbiology laboratory is still pending.
Hantavirus has multiple strains, with Andes virus being the only known strain capable of human-to-human transmission. The patient was admitted to the hospital with their spouse on May 14, and both displayed mild symptoms. Both are passengers from the Yukon territory in Canada and will be isolated in separate hospital wards.
British Columbia's health officer Bonnie Henry clarified that hantavirus differs from other respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 or the flu. Currently, there is no evidence indicating that this virus has the potential to cause a widespread outbreak.
