Six Canadians linked to hantavirus-hit cruise return home while four remain on ship
Three more Canadians might have been exposed to hantavirus, public health officials said in a briefing on Friday.
The individuals may have come into contact with a confirmed case on a recent flight, and include two people in Alberta and one person in Ontario.
Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada’s chief public health officer, said these individuals have been asked to isolate.
Meanwhile, two Canadians were among 30 passengers who disembarked a cruise ship on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena on April 24 during an outbreak of hantavirus , while a third Canadian not on the ship may have come in contact with a symptomatic individual, officials at the World Health Organization said Thursday.
The WHO said four Canadians remained on board the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius.
Dr. Reimer said none of the six individuals who have returned to Canada have been tested for hantavirus, because “there is no validated test for asymptomatic individuals.”
“That means if we were to do a test on them, my biggest worry is if it came back negative, that could falsely reassure them that they’re not infected when in fact we wouldn’t be confident of that.”
There’s also a chance they could get a false positive.
The ship had been on a weeklong polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica before sailing toward Cape Verde in the central Atlantic. After several days anchored off Cape Verde, it departed for the Canary Islands. The BBC is reporting that the ship is expected to arrive there on Sunday.
In a joint statement Thursday, Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Health Minister Marjorie Michel confirmed the news.
“As the Government of Canada responds to the Andes Hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius, the Public Health Agency of Canada is working with domestic and international partners to ensure appropriate public health protocols are followed,” it said.
The Government of Canada responds to the Andes Hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius. pic.twitter.com/WaLJ0Bk4Iu
— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) May 7, 2026
“We can confirm that two Canadians who were on the vessel returned home before the outbreak was first identified, along with one Canadian who was not on the vessel, however was on the same flight and may have come into contact with a symptomatic individual,” the statement added: “This individual is not considered a high-risk close contact by the World Health Organization.”
The ministers said two of the individuals were located in Ontario and one in Quebec. “All three are asymptomatic, have received guidance to self-isolate, and are being monitored by local authorities for the development of symptoms.”
According to the WHO , the cruise held 88 passengers and 59 crew. They represent 23 nationalities. To date there have been five confirmed and three suspected cases of the disease on the ship, and three deaths.
“We are working with all of the countries who have nationalities that are on board to discuss the plans for the safe journey of those patients home, once they disembark, once they are medically evaluated,” said WHO epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove during the press conference. “It needs to be very carefully done, but we are working with the countries about that onward passage home.”
She added: “This is what WHO does, right? We are a member state organization, and we work with all governments, and they are working with us as well about the people who are on board.”
“Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 7, 2026
People are usually infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
The species of hantavirus involved in this case is the Andes virus – which is…
The ministers said in their release that the government is in touch with the four Canadians still on the ship, adding: “Consular support is currently en route to the Canary Islands to monitor the process when the Canadians disembark and to ensure that all public health protocols are followed.”
WHO officials downplayed the danger to the public as media asked if the hantavirus outbreak could be compared to the start of the COVID pandemic.
“I want to be unequivocal here,” said Van Kerkhove. “This is not SARS-CoV 2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship. There’s a confined area. We have five confirmed cases so far. We completely understand why these questions are coming, and we are trying to provide all of the information that we can. That’s why we’re having a press conference here, to give accurate information.”
Ghebreyesus also stressed the need for international cooperation in the wake of recent decisions by the United States and Argentina to leave the WHO.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: Our hearts go out to the passengers aboard the cruise ship M/V Hondius and their families during this difficult time. Our CDC team began coordinating with domestic and international partners as soon as we were notified of a hantavirus situation.
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 7, 2026
We…
“Health security needs universality, and any vacuum, any space which is not covered, actually gives advantage to the virus,” he said. “And the best immunity we have is solidarity.”
He added: “Both Argentina and the U.S. are affected, I think they will reconsider their decisions, because they can see how important universality is for health security, because viruses don’t care about our politics and they don’t care about our borders and they don’t care about all the excuses that we may have. So I hope this could be a good lesson for the whole world, because solidarity is our best immunity.”
Meanwhile, Newsweek reports that a Dutch flight attendant has been hospitalized with possible hantavirus after coming into contact with an individual infected from the ship.
The flight attendant was on a KLM flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam on April 25 when she encountered a Dutch woman who had been infected with the virus, the outlet reports. The infected woman wasn’t allowed to remain on the flight and later died in Johannesburg.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.