In British Columbia, Canadian health officials reported on Saturday that one of four Canadians, currently in quarantine following exposure to hantavirus aboard a cruise ship, has tested positive. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, informed the public during a news conference that the individual, who began showing mild symptoms such as fever and headache two days prior, was transferred alongside their partner to a hospital in Victoria for further evaluation and testing. Both had been in isolation on the cruise ship where the outbreak occurred.

Late Friday evening, the test results for the symptomatic individual returned as a “presumptive positive,” according to Dr. Henry. These initial results are pending confirmation from the national microbiology lab in Winnipeg, with final verification expected over the weekend. Dr. Henry emphasized that while the situation was not ideal, it had been anticipated and prepared for. The patient remains stable, with mild symptoms, and continues to receive care in isolation at the hospital. Their partner, who tested negative, is also under observation at the hospital.

Due to cautionary measures, the third Canadian, who was also isolating in shared accommodations, has been hospitalized for monitoring. Meanwhile, the fourth person remains in quarantine at home under daily surveillance. The group had been passengers on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, where the hantavirus outbreak was identified. Upon arriving in Victoria on May 10th, all four individuals were symptom-free and were placed into a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

In a related development, France’s Pasteur Institute has successfully sequenced the Andes virus from a French passenger of the MV Hondius, determining it to be consistent with known strains in South America. This analysis showed no new characteristics that would increase transmissibility or severity. The Institute confirmed that the virus detected in the French passenger matched those found in other cases aboard the cruise and shared a close resemblance to Andes virus strains found in South American rodents.

Jean-Claude Manuguerra from Pasteur’s environment and infectious risk unit noted that the minor variations observed in the virus were consistent with natural viral changes and did not alter the virus’s behavior among the ship’s passengers. Since April 11th, three individuals from the cruise, including a Dutch couple and a German woman, have died from suspected hantavirus infections.