Canadian cruise passenger tests positive for Andes hantavirus, outbreak widens

Canada has confirmed a Canadian cruise passenger infected with Andes hantavirus, but health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the virus is rare in Canada and typically spreads only through prolonged close contact.

The patient, who had been aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition ship MV Hondius, was hospitalized Thursday with a spouse who is also showing mild symptoms. A third person who had been isolating in secure lodging was also taken to hospital for assessment and testing out of caution. Samples were sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for confirmatory testing.

The World Health Organization said the broader outbreak had reached at least 11 cases and three deaths by May 13, including eight laboratory-confirmed Andes virus infections, two probable cases and one inconclusive case. Health officials say this is the first documented Andes virus outbreak in a cruise ship setting, a development that has triggered contact tracing across several countries, including France, Spain and the United States.

Public health authorities are treating the Canadian exposure as a controlled but serious event. Four Canadian passengers arrived safely in British Columbia on May 10 and were moved to dedicated accommodations to complete a self-isolation period. They must remain isolated for a minimum of 21 days and up to 42 days, starting May 10, the last day a confirmed case was aboard the ship. Five other people in Canada were also considered potentially exposed, including two who had already disembarked and three who may have been exposed during a flight, bringing the total number of high-risk contacts in Canada to nine.

Ottawa has also moved to stop any passenger or crew member who had been aboard the Hondius since April 1 from boarding a flight to Canada, coordinating with public health agencies, air carriers and border officials. The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said 114 guests boarded in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and that 30 guests disembarked at Saint Helena on April 24, including the body of a passenger who died aboard the ship on April 11.

The outbreak is drawing attention because Andes virus is the only known hantavirus strain that can spread from person to person. Canada’s rapid risk assessment says the virus is not endemic in the country and is distinct from the Sin Nombre virus that does circulate here. The World Health Organization says the likely first case was infected before boarding the cruise, through land exposure, which points investigators toward the start of the chain rather than any single moment aboard ship.