Canadian in B.C. tests “presumptive positive” for hantavirus
The patient is stable in Victoria as confirmatory testing continues in Winnipeg, while three other exposed Canadians remain under hospital monitoring.
- On Saturday, Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry confirmed a Canadian isolating on Vancouver Island tested presumptively positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus after returning from the MV Hondius cruise.
- Four Canadians were monitored after the ship departed Argentina in April; the patient remains stable in isolation while three people aboard the ship have died since the outbreak began.
- Mild symptoms, including fever and headache, developed two days ago, Henry reported, and the individual and their partner were tested at a Victoria hospital with confirmatory testing pending.
- While only one Canadian tested positive, three of the four individuals quarantining on Vancouver Island are now being monitored in hospital, and two others who returned to Canada earlier are isolating in Ontario.
- No vaccines or treatments exist for the virus, which is endemic to parts of Argentina, though Henry said, "Clearly, this is not what we hoped for, but it is what we planned for.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Canadian cruise passenger gets a presumptive positive hantavirus test result after ship outbreak
Canadian officials have reported that one of four Canadians returning from a cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak has a “presumptive positive” test result. Confirmation from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg is expected soon. British Columbia's public health officer…
'A Critical Period': Canada Confirms First Presumptive Hantavirus Case Among Cruise Ship Returnees
A Canadian isolating in British Columbia has tested presumptively positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, marking the first such case on Canadian soil linked to the deadly outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. British Columbia Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry announced the development on 16 May 2026, confirming the patient was hospitalised after developing mild symptoms two days prior. The affected individual is a Yukon resid…
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