Reuters: Hantavirus reaches Canada with confirmed case

British Columbia authorities said on May 16 that one Canadian has tested positive for hantavirus after disembarking from a luxury cruise ship affected by an outbreak of the Andes strain.

The individual was tested at a hospital in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, after developing mild symptoms, and is one of four Canadians currently isolating on the island following their departure from the Dutch cruise vessel MV Hondius, which set sail from Argentina on a polar expedition on April 1, Reuters reports.

The group consists of two couples — one from Yukon and another from British Columbia — with officials confirming that the person who tested positive is from Yukon.

According to provincial health officer Bonnie Henry, the Yukon couple is undergoing testing in British Columbia due to the lack of such services in the northern territory.

Henry added that the four individuals had no contact with the public during their transfer from the airport to Victoria, and confirmed that the infected individual remains in stable condition.

The Andes strain of hantavirus, identified in the cruise ship outbreak, can lead to severe respiratory illness and carries a fatality rate of up to 50 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

Hantaviruses are typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents, though in rare instances human-to-human transmission can occur, with health authorities emphasizing that the overall risk of wider spread remains low.

By Jeyhun Aghazada