Canadian health authorities have reported a presumptive positive test result for hantavirus in one of the four Canadians quarantined in British Columbia after potential exposure on the MV Hondius cruise ship. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province’s health officer, revealed during a press briefing that the patient began showing mild symptoms such as fever and headache two days prior. Along with their partner, the individual was moved to a Victoria hospital for further evaluation and testing. Although initial results came back positive, they are subject to confirmation by the national microbiology lab in Winnipeg, with final results anticipated over the weekend.
Dr. Henry emphasized that while the situation was not ideal, it was anticipated and planned for. She assured the public that “the patient is stable, and their symptoms remain mild.” The patient’s partner tested negative but will stay in the hospital for observation. As a precaution, a third person from the same quarantine lodging was also hospitalized for monitoring, while the fourth individual continues to isolate at home under close observation.
The group of four Canadians returned to Victoria on May 10 after being aboard the MV Hondius, where the outbreak of hantavirus occurred. Upon arrival, they displayed no symptoms but were immediately placed in a minimum 21-day quarantine. In parallel developments, France’s Pasteur Institute has successfully sequenced the Andes virus found in a French passenger from the same cruise ship. Their analysis shows no new mutations that would make the virus more transmissible or dangerous, confirming the strain closely resembles those identified in South America.
The Pasteur Institute stated that the virus detected in the French patient matched those found in other passengers and was about 97% similar to known Andes virus samples from South America, including those present in rodents. Jean-Claude Manuguerra of Pasteur’s infectious risk unit noted that the remaining genetic variations are typical and do not appear to affect the virus’s known characteristics. Tragically, since April 11, three individuals from the cruise have succumbed to suspected hantavirus infections, including a Dutch couple and a German woman.