In Canada, 26 people are under medical monitoring due to hantavirus risk

According to Canadian public health authorities, 26 people are currently being monitored for possible symptoms of hantavirus infection.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Joss Reimer stated that nine of them are in isolation because they are considered to be at “high risk.” Among them are passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius.

Officials emphasized that none of the monitored individuals have tested positive for the virus so far.

Earlier reports indicated that 11 hantavirus cases had been detected on board the vessel during its voyage from Tenerife to the Netherlands. Three infected passengers died, and one is hospitalized in Johannesburg.

To prevent further spread, passengers were instructed to remain in their cabins, but the virus’s long incubation period—lasting several weeks—makes rapid detection of new cases difficult.

The cruise began in April in Ushuaia, Argentina, and was scheduled to end in the Canary Islands. Around 150 people were on board, mainly from the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States.