Shafaq News- Ottawa

A Canadian passenger linked to the deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has tested presumptively positive in British Columbia, marking the first suspected infection among the four Canadians placed under monitored isolation after leaving the vessel.

British Columbia’s provincial health officer, Bonnie Henry, confirmed that the patient was hospitalized after developing mild symptoms, including fever and headache, two days earlier. The test result still requires confirmation by Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

Henry pointed out that hantavirus differs significantly from respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza and does not currently pose a pandemic risk. She also stated that none of the travelers had contact with the public during their transfer from Victoria International Airport.

The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has so far resulted in 11 confirmed infections globally and three deaths.

Hantavirus commonly spreads through exposure to rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between humans. However, authorities noted that the Andes strain linked to the outbreak may rarely spread between people.