4 hantavirus ship passengers isolating in B.C. after return

Four Canadian passengers who were onboard the cruise ship where people were stricken by a deadly hantavirus outbreak returned to B.C. on Sunday. The Canadians landed at Saguenay-Bagotville Airport in Quebec, where they were transferred to a second flight destined for Victoria. During a Monday news conference, Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry said the four people have not shown symptoms of the deadly virus. While this is reassuring, she said, they are still in a “very critical phase of the incubation period.” Dr. Henry said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control assessed all passengers on board the MV Hondius. The four Canadians were considered in the “lower risk spectrum” for exposure based on the location of their cabins and their activities on the ship. The individuals were transferred from the Victoria International Airport to secure, prearranged accommodations on Sunday to begin a minimum 21 days of isolation. All four will be monitored daily by public health. After 21 days, the passengers will be reassessed and a decision will be made about whether they need to continue to isolate for up to a maximum of 42 days in total. Dr. Henry said testing can be made available if any of the four isolated individuals develop symptoms, even so much as a headache. But they are not being tested proactively at this time. Dr. Henry said the hantavirus outbreak can be unsettling, but stressed that it is a very different disease and situation than COVID-19. She said hantavirus is not considered a disease of pandemic potential. #hantavirus #britishcolumbia #canada