A person in British Columbia who contracted hantavirus on board the MV Hondius cruise ship has recovered and been discharged from hospital, marking the province's first case of the virus. The office of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, noting that the individual was released late last week.
Patient Recovery and Quarantine Update
The Yukon resident became ill after arriving in B.C. when passengers were allowed to disembark the ship. According to the statement, the three other contacts who were also on board the cruise ship remain in quarantine and are being monitored daily by Island Health public health teams. All three continue to show no symptoms.
The quarantine period for hantavirus is 42 days, which is the maximum incubation period for the disease. This means the quarantine for the remaining individuals is expected to end around June 21.
Background of the MV Hondius Outbreak
The MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship, experienced a hantavirus outbreak in April while sailing near Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa. It is believed that a passenger was exposed to the virus during a trek before the cruise began in Argentina. According to the latest World Health Organization update on May 28, there have been 13 cases of hantavirus and three deaths linked to the cruise ship.
Four Canadians were flown to B.C. after being on board the ship. They included a couple in their 70s from the Yukon, a person in their 70s living on Vancouver Island, and a British Columbian in their 50s who resides abroad. They were transported on a plane chartered by the Public Health Agency of Canada and placed under quarantine upon arrival, except for the Vancouver Island resident who quarantined at home.
Just a week after arrival, Dr. Henry confirmed that one of the Yukon residents developed mild symptoms, including fever and headache, and tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus. That individual was the one who has now recovered and been discharged.
Understanding Hantavirus
Hantavirus can cause fever and gastrointestinal symptoms and can progress rapidly to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, and shock. It is typically acquired through contact with the urine, feces, or saliva of infected rodents. Human-to-human transmission is rare but has been reported with the Andes strain, which was the variant found on board the cruise ship.
Travellers on the MV Hondius were stranded on the ship for days as officials determined where it could safely dock for health checks and quarantines. After the ship docked in Spain's Canary Islands, remaining passengers were allowed to disembark.
