Positive case discharged from hospital
A Canadian traveller who tested positive for hantavirus after leaving a cruise ship linked to an outbreak has recovered, according to health officials in British Columbia.
The patient was discharged from hospital late last week, the Office of the Provincial Health Officer of B.C. confirmed Monday.
Four Canadians had been isolating
Four Canadians believed to have been exposed to the virus aboard the MV Hondius have been in isolation on Vancouver Island since returning to Canada on May 10.
Only one of them tested positive for hantavirus. The other three remain in quarantine and have not developed symptoms.
Daily monitoring continues
British Columbia officials said the three remaining contacts are being followed daily by Island Health public health teams.
Their quarantine period remains 42 days, which represents the maximum incubation period for hantavirus.
Travellers from B.C. and Yukon
The province previously described the group as a Vancouver Island resident in their 70s, another B.C. resident in their 50s who currently lives abroad, and a couple from Yukon in their 70s.
The person who tested positive was one of the travellers from Yukon.
Outbreak linked to evacuated cruise ship
Passengers from the MV Hondius have been repatriated to more than 20 countries after evacuating the ship.
They are now isolating in different jurisdictions as health authorities monitor possible exposure related to the outbreak.
Three deaths confirmed
The outbreak has killed three people.
Epidemiologists have confirmed at least 11 hantavirus cases connected to the cruise ship, making the incident highly unusual given how rare hantavirus infections and deaths are in Canada.
How hantavirus usually spreads
In North America, hantavirus infections most often occur when people inhale contaminated particles from rodent droppings.
However, health experts believe the Andes strain linked to the MV Hondius outbreak can, in rare circumstances, spread between people through prolonged close contact.
No known direct contact with sick passengers
Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, previously said the Canadians isolating in the Island Health region had no known direct contact with those who became ill on the ship.
That detail has been important for assessing the risk to the broader public.
Argentina expands investigation
Health officials in Argentina, where the outbreak is believed to have started, said last week that they were widening their investigation into the source of the incident.
Authorities are working to reconstruct the chain of transmission, though they have acknowledged that the process is difficult.
Source may never be identified
Argentine officials said it may never be possible to determine exactly where the first known victims contracted the virus.
Those victims, a Dutch couple who died in April, became ill before boarding the cruise in Ushuaia, according to investigators.
Public health teams remain cautious
The recovery of the Canadian patient is an encouraging development, but health authorities continue to take a cautious approach.
With the remaining contacts still under observation, officials are focused on completing the full quarantine period and monitoring for any signs of illness linked to the MV Hondius outbreak.
