VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian health authorities confirmed Sunday that a Yukon resident who returned from a cruise ship hit by an Andes hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus, bringing the number of confirmed cases linked to the MV Hondius to 10.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said the positive test was confirmed at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, a day after British Columbia’s public health officer had reported a presumptive positive. “One individual’s sample was confirmed positive for hantavirus,” the agency said in a statement.
A second individual, the patient’s traveling partner, was also tested and the result returned negative. Both are a couple in their 70s from the Yukon. They remain hospitalized in Victoria, the agency said.
Four Canadian passengers returned to British Columbia on Sunday, May 10, from the MV Hondius, where the outbreak began. Besides the couple, a person in their 70s from Vancouver Island and a British Columbia resident in their 50s who lives abroad are also in isolation.
The outbreak has now claimed three lives. Among the dead are a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. The Canadian patient is the 10th person from the ship to test positive for hantavirus.
Despite the new confirmation, the agency emphasized that the risk beyond the ship remains minimal. “The overall risk to the general population in Canada from the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship remains low at this time,” the statement said. “All confirmed cases to date have been passengers or crew on the MV Hondius cruise ship.”
The agency added that it had provided the information about the positive case to the World Health Organization and would share further details to support the ongoing global investigation of the outbreak.