Canada confirms first hantavirus case in isolation in British Columbia
TL;DR
A Canadian individual has presumptively tested positive for hantavirus while quarantining in British Columbia after exposure on a cruise ship. The patient is stable with mild symptoms and is currently in isolation at a hospital in Victoria.
Key points
- One Canadian tests presumptively positive for hantavirus
- Individual was quarantined after exposure on a cruise ship
- Patient is stable with mild symptoms in hospital isolation
- Samples sent for confirmatory testing to national lab
- Results expected over the weekend
Canadian officials said oon Saturday that one of the four Canadians currently quarantining in British Columbia after being exposed to the hantavirus while on board the cruise ship where the outbreak occurred has presumptively tested positive.
Speaking at news conference, Dr Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, said the individual developed mild symptoms, including fever and headache, two days ago, and that the individual and their partner, who had also been on board the cruise ship where they had been isolating together, were transferred to a hospital in Victoria for assessment and testing.
Henry said that on late Friday evening the test results for the individual who had been experiencing mild symptoms came back positive, though she stressed that the results were currently “what we call a presumptive positive” and that the samples have been sent to the national microbiology lab in Winnipeg for confirmatory testing. Results from those tests are expected to be confirmed over the course of the weekend, Henry said.
“Clearly this is not what we hoped for, but it is what we planned for,” Henry said.
“The patient is stable, and their symptoms remain mild at this point,” Henry said. “And they are still in hospital, in isolation, being monitored and receiving care as needed.”
The patient’s partner tested negative, but will also remain in hospital for further monitoring and assessment, Henry said.
Out of what Henry described as “an abundance of caution”, the third individual who had been isolating in the same lodging has also been transferred to hospital for monitoring. The fourth person continues to isolate at home under daily observation, she said.
The four Canadians who had been on board the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, where the hantavirus outbreak occurred, arrived in Victoria on 10 May, Henry said, adding that on arrival, all four of them were assessed and none of them had any symptoms at that time.
They were transferred directly to lodgings to begin a period of quarantine for a minimum of 21 days.
The World Health Organization has recommended a 42-day quarantine period.
Since 11 April, three people who were on board the cruise ship have died of suspected hantavirus infections of hantavirus, including a Dutch couple and a German woman.
Q&A
What are the symptoms of hantavirus?
Common symptoms of hantavirus include fever, headache, and muscle aches, which can progress to more severe respiratory issues.
How did the hantavirus outbreak occur on the cruise ship?
The hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship is linked to exposure to infected rodents or their droppings, which can occur in areas where rodents are present.
What is the status of the other Canadians quarantined in British Columbia?
Currently, there are four Canadians quarantined in British Columbia, with one individual testing presumptively positive for hantavirus, while the health status of the others has not been specified.
