Health Canada says 34 Canadians who may have had exposure to Andes hantavirus related to the MV Hondius cruise ship have now completed their self-isolation and monitoring period.
The one remaining contact and the recovered case in Canada are slated to complete their self-isolation period on June 26.
B.C. health officials have said that the sole Canadian who fell ill with hantavirus recovered as of June 9.
The confirmed case marked the first incident of Andes hantavirus being detected in Canada. Nine Canadians located in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. were deemed to have experienced “high risk exposure” and were directed to self-isolate.
These Canadians were either passengers on the MV Hondius or had close contact with someone infected with hantavirus on a flight.
Another 26 people across Canada were being monitored by public health authorities for symptoms after sharing flights with a person confirmed to have hantavirus but were deemed to be “low risk.” Other passengers on the flights were not considered close contacts because of where they were seated.
An outbreak of Andes hantavirus was declared aboard the MV Hondius in early May, leading to a total of 11 cases of the virus, including three of which who died, being identified among people who were on the ship.
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Carrying 147 people, subsequent evacuations from the ship involved 94 passengers across 19 nationalities.
The ship begun its journey in Argentina and was supposed to head toward Antarctica, going across the Atlantic Ocean.
Citizens from France, Spain, Netherlands, the U.K., Germany and the U.S. were later found to have either confirmed or probable cases of hantavirus. All of those citizens were ordered to self-isolate.
Tedros Abhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) that each country where the passengers have been repatriated is responsible for monitoring their health.
“WHO’s recommendation is that they should be monitored actively at a specified quarantine facility or at home for 42 days from the last exposure which is the 10th of May, which takes us to the 21st of June,” he said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials also stated on Monday that the last eight American passengers who endured 42 days in a specialized hospital quarantine unit have now left the Nebraska facility.
The WHO identifies hantaviruses as “a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans,” as infections “can cause a range of illnesses, including severe disease and death.”
The WHO also states that people “usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.”
There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.
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