26 Canadians monitored for potential exposure to hantavirus

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]I want to be clear with Canadians. The overall risk to the general population in connection with the Andes virus uh Andes hantavirus event remains low at this time.

[00:00:10]But given the severity of the symptoms of the virus, we are taking a precautionary approach to ensure that Canadians are protected.

[00:00:18]There are more than two dozen people across Canada affiliated in some way with the hantavirus, and despite that, our country's top health official says the risk for Canadians remains low. The outbreak of the virus linked to a cruise ship in Europe, officials say four Canadians returned to BC on May 10th from that ship. They were all asymptomatic and taken to lodging to complete isolation.

[00:00:42]Five other high-risk contacts have been identified, all of whom may have been potentially exposed to a confirmed case.

[00:00:49]In addition to the high-risk cases, 26 others have been labeled low-risk, meaning they have not experienced prolonged direct contact. All 26 were on flights with probable or confirmed cases of the Andes hantavirus. The feds say at this time there's no evidence that the virus can spread through asymptomatic people.

[00:01:09]They add that further spread of the virus in Canada is not expected.