Canadian passenger from MV Hondius tests positive for hantavirus; four former passengers isolating on Vancouver Island
British Columbia's Ministry of Health has announced that a Canadian who was a former passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for hantavirus. The individual is one of four Canadian passengers from the ship — widely considered the starting point of the current hantavirus outbreak — now isolating in residences on Vancouver Island. At least one of the others is symptomatic.
BC Health Minister Adrian Dix said at a press conference: 'This case is significant because it shows the risk of Andes hantavirus spreading from former passengers into the community. Isolation protocols are being fully applied and active monitoring will continue for 14 days.' BC CDC director Dr Réka Gustafson noted that the virus causes Andes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) — a respiratory failure that starts with flu-like symptoms, progresses to lung fluid accumulation, and carries a 35-40 percent mortality rate.
The MV Hondius is an expedition cruise ship operated on a Chile-Antarctica route. After three passengers developed severe respiratory symptoms during the 18 February departure from Punta Arenas, the vessel was diverted to Tristan da Cunha on 19 March; two of the first three cases tested positive for Andes hantavirus. The ship's entire passenger complement was evacuated on a flight to Vancouver on 28 March and placed in isolation in British Columbia.
Netherlands-based ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions announced that the vessel has been fully disinfected following the disembarkation of its last passengers. The company cancelled the MV Hondius cruise schedule through 14 March 2026, with refunds of 22 million euros to be paid. 'This event is a wake-up call for our industry,' said company spokesperson Mark van der Hulst, adding that the vessel's rodent-control protocols are being re-examined.
Andes hantavirus is carried by the long-tailed rice rat Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, which lives in South America. Humans typically become infected through respiratory routes in environments contaminated by the rat's urine, faeces or saliva. Andes is the only known hantavirus that can — in rare cases — be transmitted human-to-human, making this outbreak distinctive; most hantavirus species transmit only directly from rodent to human.
A 65-year-old who is one of the four former passengers in BC, and who asked to remain anonymous, told CBC News: 'Antarctica was a dream holiday. But four weeks of isolation after disembarking is a real test. Health teams call us every day and conduct symptom checks.' Symptoms described include fatigue, mild cough and headache; PCR-negative individuals will be released at the end of the 14-day isolation.
The Canadian case brings the confirmed total in the MV Hondius event to 12. According to the World Health Organization's 22 May update, cumulative Andes hantavirus cases attributable to the outbreak now stand at nine in Chile, one in Argentina, one in Brazil and this new case in Canada — 12 in total, with four deaths. The pace of the outbreak appears to have slowed; only this Canadian case has been recorded in the past seven days.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has established a follow-up cohort that includes voluntary registration of former passengers throughout the outbreak. 'Because the traditional monitoring window is 28 days, new cases may still emerge at least four weeks after the last disembarkation,' said PHAC's Dr Theresa Tam. For the general public in Canada, hantavirus risk remains extremely low; this is an imported case from the ship, not a domestic outbreak signal.
The World Health Organization will convene an international technical meeting on 17 June to review rodent-control protocols on Atlantic cruise tourism and Antarctic research voyages. There is no current formal rodent-control standard between Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting nations; each operator applies its own protocol. Hantavirus expert Professor Pablo Vial of the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile said: 'Antarctica-based tourism is growing fast — about 100,000 tourists annually. At that scale, the sector needs professional zoonotic-risk management.'
Health Canada reminds anyone suspecting illness to seek emergency medical assistance. Because early symptoms resemble flu, the risk of misdiagnosis is high; individuals who have travelled in South America within the past six weeks and develop respiratory symptoms are advised to inform their clinician. There is no effective antiviral therapy, but early intensive-care support can reduce mortality.
*This article is not medical advice. If you have respiratory symptoms, seek health care immediately.*