Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Joss Reimer, says efforts are under way to contact 26 Canadians who were on flights with a known hantavirus case.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Local public-health officials are working to contact 26 additional Canadians who were aboard flights with a known hantavirus case, according to the latest national update.
Joss Reimer, Canada’s chief public-health officer, said on Thursday that these individuals are considered low risk and are not required to isolate. But provinces and territories may recommend isolation if they see fit.
Dr. Reimer said she did not have information on where the 26 people currently live. All were on flights with a hantavirus case linked to the deadly outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, but did not sit nearby or come into direct contact with the infected person.
European public-health officials identified this group as no risk, but Canada is taking a more “precautionary approach,” Dr. Reimer said.
Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada’s chief public health officer, says as of May 14, there are 26 individuals in Canada being contacted by public health authorities to monitor for hantavirus symptoms, though they are deemed 'low risk.'
The Canadian Press
“The provinces and territories, therefore, are undertaking the work to contact these 26 individuals and provide them with information and monitor them,” she said.
“As the situation continues to evolve, the number of individuals for public health follow-up in Canada related to the outbreak of Andes hantavirus may change over time and our response will evolve accordingly.”
Currently, 36 Canadians are being monitored for hantavirus related to the outbreak, which killed a Dutch couple and German national who had been aboard the cruise ship.
Dr. Reimer said some of these individuals were not originally identified upon their return to Canada, which caused delays in local public-health officials reaching out with guidance.
Nine Canadians are deemed high risk and are isolating; all are asymptomatic. A Quebec individual who was in isolation and previously considered high risk has been downgraded to low risk. They are no longer isolating, bringing the total number of low-risk individuals to 27.
Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that primarily affect rodents, but can be transmitted to humans who have contact with infected animals or inhale virus particles from their urine, droppings or saliva. The Andes strain detected in the cruise ship outbreak is the only known hantavirus that can transmit person to person.
Unlike COVID-19, hantavirus does not transmit easily between people and does not appear to be rapidly mutating. Public-health officials have stressed that the risk to the general population is low and that hantavirus does not have pandemic potential.
An investigation into the origin of the outbreak is continuing but it is believed that the virus was contracted by a passenger before they boarded the luxury cruise ship in April. The vessel departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, carrying roughly 150 passengers and crew from all over the world.
The World Health Organization was notified of a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness in early May. Shortly after, it was identified as a hantavirus outbreak.
Of the nine high-risk Canadians, four are isolating in British Columbia, three in Ontario and two in Alberta. These individuals were potentially exposed to hantavirus on the cruise ship or on flights with infected passengers.
Dr. Reimer said there is no evidence that suggests the virus can spread from asymptomatic people, which is why no contract tracing is being done at this time. Low-risk individuals may have to isolate if they show any symptoms related to hantavirus, she added.
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“The critical part of how we work in this country is the ability for us to have national guidance, national consensus, but also to tailor to the information that is unique to each individual in this circumstance,” said Dr. Reimer.
“That’s where the work of local public health is critical, so that they can respond to the individual circumstances in their community when they might need to increase the surveillance or increase the guidance that is being offered.”
She said discussions with her counterparts in the provinces and territories are ongoing to align their approaches. Ottawa is also bringing together a group of experts to provide guidance on hantavirus testing. Testing is available in Canada if required.
“I want to be clear with Canadians, the overall risk to the general population in connection with the Andes hantavirus event remains low at this time,” said Dr. Reimer.