Government officials will be on hand in Spain’s Canary Islands to meet Canadians when they disembark a cruise ship that is at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
Three passengers suspected to be infected were flown to the Netherlands on Wednesday from the MV Hondius, as around 150 passengers -including four Canadians – still aboard the ship continue to isolate in their cabins. Officials say those on board are showing no signs of symptoms.
The journey to the Canary Islands is expected to take three or four days, Spain’s health ministry said.
“At this stage, there are no known cases of Canadians infected on board,” read a joint statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Anand and Minister of Health Marjorie Michel on Wednesday night.
“The Public Health Agency of Canada is working closely with provinces and territories to assess any potential risk and is connecting with Canadians on board to provide guidance on isolation or additional public health measures.”
Three people have died, and one body remains on the ship. There have been eight cases, five of them confirmed by laboratory testing, the WHO says.
The World Health Organization says the outbreak’s global risk is low, with the organization’s top epidemic expert telling The Associated Press, “This is not the next COVID.”
Hantavirus is a rare, rodent-borne illness that usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. The Argentine government’s leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching tour at a garbage dump before boarding the cruise, according to two officials.
Files from The Associated Press were used in this report
