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Canada’s public health agency confirmed a positive case of hantavirus in a Canadian isolating in British Columbia after leaving the cruise ship affected by a deadly outbreak.
In a news release Sunday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said laboratory testing conducted by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg confirmed one passenger tested positive for the virus on Friday after samples were sent from B.C.
The case was first reported publicly by Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, on Saturday, when she said the test had come back with a “presumptive positive” result.
PHAC said a second person who travelled with the confirmed case tested negative for hantavirus.
Henry said the patient was hospitalized after developing mild symptoms, including fever and headache, earlier in the week.
“There have been no further cases identified at this time. All high-risk contacts are isolating and will continue to be monitored closely by local public health,” PHAC said.
The agency said the overall risk to the general population in Canada remains low from the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the ship.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says a Canadian isolating in B.C. has tested ‘presumptive positive’ for hantavirus after leaving the cruise ship affected by an outbreak of the Andes strain in recent weeks.
“All confirmed cases to date have been passengers or crew on the MV Hondius cruise ship. Given the severity of this virus, we are taking a precautionary approach to ensure Canadians are protected,” the agency added.
Dr. Joss Reimer, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, thanked public health authorities and frontline staff in B.C. in the statement, “for the dedicated care that they are providing and for their ongoing management of the situation, and the passengers for their co-operation with public health direction to help keep others safe.”
