Hantavirus Case Confirmed in Canada After Cruise Outbreak Spread | NewsX World

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]from MV Hondius cruise ship has crossed into North America and Canada is on high alert. The Public Health Agency in Canada has confirmed that a Canadian passenger who returned from the stricken vessel last week has tested positive for the Andes hantavirus, making it the first confirmed case stemming from the cruise ship to be detected on the North American soil. The patient, a person in their 70s from the Yukon, is now being treated at a hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, alongside a traveling companion who has tested negative. All four Canadians who were aboard the ship are now in isolation. The Canadian patient is the 10th person from the ship to test positive with three people having already died, believed to be a Dutch couple and a German national, and one person still being treated in intensive care in South Africa.

[00:00:55]Separately, 18 American passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius have returned to the United States with the 16 placed in quarantine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the Iowa and two sent to the Emory University in Atlanta.

[00:01:12]Canada's top health officials have stressed that unlike COVID-19, hantavirus has no pandemic potential and the overall risk to the Canadian public remains low.

[00:01:24]Once again, we are being joined by Ruby from the newsroom. Ruby, thank you for joining us here. Um again, what more can you tell us about hantavirus and this developing situation where unfortunately most people seem to be testing positive?

[00:01:42]Yes, Ellie, it is rather concerning, but the World Health Organization has said that we shouldn't be worried. We shouldn't be seeing an outbreak the size of COVID, of course, which is a very, very recent event in everybody's minds.

[00:01:55]And now this latest infection is of an individual who has returned to Canada after being on this cruise ship. The cruise ship started at the very bottom of Argentina, then made its way through the ocean. The outbreak was discovered off the coast of Cape Verde in Africa and then it paused for a while to plan these next stages. So far there's been no confirmed outbreaks in Cape Verde, but of course we also do see these hantaviruses also widely recognized internationally in these outbreaks. Now, of course it is spread through rodents, infected rodent droppings, urine and saliva. There is investigations underway to see where exactly it may have come from.

[00:02:50]There was reports that it could have come from a passenger who did a landfill or who was an avid bird watcher and so of course wanted to see some birds and so perhaps gained it through there. The Andes strain, which is the particular strain that is of importance right now, is mainly found in South America and it is particularly notable because it's shown rare evidence of person-to-person transmission unlike with most other hantaviruses. And so in this environment on this cruise ship we did see people in very close quarters.

[00:03:26]It was thought that this is perhaps how the virus did spread between one couple and of course we did see the virus spread further to other passengers as well. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome has also had a 1993 in the US Southwest.

[00:03:47]So there has been other hantavirus outbreaks as well, Ellie. Of course there are some cases in isolation in Nebraska at the moment. We do see some some some lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak as well.

[00:04:02]But, of course, uh we will see updates come much uh much more in in a long-term future. This this disease does have a 6-week uh incubation uh timeline, and so symptoms can appear much later than what we were used to seeing with COVID, which only had 2 weeks. Now, Canada, of course, has confirmed this first known uh case connected to this cruise ship outbreak.

[00:04:28]The infected individual did return to British Columbia, a region of Canada, after traveling on this cruise ship, the MV Hanjin, a a Dutch ship that has now um is now on on its way back to Rotterdam as well. Um and of course, there have been several illnesses and deaths linked to the outbreak, as you did mention before, Ellie.

[00:04:50]Of course, health authorities have said the overall public risk remains low, but are monitoring close contacts and passengers very very carefully. Uh we do think that more cases could emerge. Of course, the incubation timeline is uh quite long with 6 weeks. Uh so, a very developing situation.

[00:05:10]Uh but yes, if sustained human-to-human transmission is confirmed, we could see international public health measures tightened significantly, especially given the amount of air travel that we do see in this day and age. We are also, of course, dealing with a uh Ebola outbreak in Africa right now at the moment as well between Uganda and the Democratic Republic Congo Democra- People's Democratic Republic of Congo.

[00:05:37]Uh and so far, there's been more than than 100 deaths there, um and more than 300 confirmed cases.

[00:05:45]Of course, uh there's no a vaccine for this particular strain of Ebola in Congo right now. And so, this outbreak is also one to keep our eye on.

[00:05:58]So, of course, these these outbreaks of course do worry the public. Uh The health officials have said that we shouldn't be too worried about Hantavirus right now, but the Ebola outbreak with no vaccine and of course uh the uh does it does raise concerns. The World Health Organization has said it is of international importance. But yes, we will bring you all of these updates as they do come uh right here on News X world. Back to you, Ellie.

[00:06:28]>> Thank you so much, Ruby, for joining us here today on the newsroom. And that's all we have time for. Keep watching News