Over the weekend, four Canadians have arrived in Victoria from the MV Hondius, the cruise ship impacted by a hantavirus outbreak in early April.
On April 1st, the MV Hondius, which carried 147 passengers and crew, departed from Argentina, four of whom were Canadian.
Around a week later, between April 6th and 11th, the index case of hantavirus developed in an elderly Dutch passenger who died onboard the vessel.
Following his death, on April 24th, around 30 passengers disembarked at Saint Helena, a tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean. Among those passengers was the wife of the deceased, who passed away a short time later in South Africa.
In early May, the World Health Organization (WHO) were notified of the outbreak which had developed in six additional passengers and the MV Hondius was moored off Cabo Verde while international authorities coordinated care and quarantine.
According to the WHO, the outbreak was specifically attributed to Andes virus, which is a rare form of hantavirus that can spread between humans, unlike other hantaviruses.
This outbreak on the MV Hondius had a 38% fatality rate with three of eight recorded cases dying of the virus.
The WHO has reported a low risk to the general public.
Ahead of the Canadian passengers’ arrival in British Columbia, BC’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry issued a statement.
“Upon arrival, they will be screened and assessed by local public health officials and transported directly to safe, pre-arranged lodgings, where they will begin an initial 21-day self-isolation period under daily monitoring by public health teams,” said Dr. Henry.
“Based on the incubation period associated with hantavirus exposure, this isolation period may be extended to up to 42 days if required.”
She added that they will not come into contact with members of the public at any point during their arrival or isolation, and they will be monitored daily by local public health teams to ensure that they remain well and are safely isolated.
“People in British Columbia may understandably feel concerned by news like this, particularly given experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
“However, it is important to be clear that hantavirus is very different from respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19. It does not spread in the same way and is not considered a disease with pandemic potential.”
She added that the four individuals returning to Canada are asymptomatic and arrived on Sunday, May 10th.
Dr. Henry held a press conference at 11 a.m. on Monday morning with more details on their return.
She confirmed that their arrival went smoothly.
“On arrival each individual was screened and thoroughly assessed by the Island Health public health teams, and we were there in very controlled conditions, wearing appropriate PPE,” said Dr. Henry.
“All four were, and continue to be well and have no symptoms. This is reassuring, but as we talked about yesterday, we are in a very critical phase of the incubation period.”
She added that in keeping with established protocols, the people who arrived were transferred from the airport to the secure, pre-arranged lodgings. There they will be held in isolation for a minimum period of 21 days.
Two of the four individuals are a couple in their 70s who live in Yukon, another is also in their 70s and resides on Vancouver Island and the fourth is in their 50s who is from BC, but living abroad.
The four Canadians did not have known contact with the eight individuals who contracted hantavirus.
Dr. Henry said Island Health is working closely with Yukon, where they are not equipped with the facilities to test or care for someone, should they develop the symptoms seen in fatal cases of this hantavirus outbreak.
“These Canadians have been through a very difficult number of weeks, and it showed last night,” she continued. “They were tired and exhausted, but very relieved and grateful to be back here in Canada.”
Daily monitoring is now in place, and they will receive monitoring for the remainder of their time in isolation.
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