Canadian national health agency confirms 1 positive hantavirus test

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada's national health agency Sunday confirmed that one of four Canadians who returned home from a cruise ship hit with a hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus.

The Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed the positive test a day after the public health officer for the province of British Columbia said the person had received a “presumptive positive” but further testing would be conducted at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

“One individual’s sample was confirmed positive for hantavirus,” the national agency said in a statement.

A second individual who was a traveling partner of the confirmed case was confirmed negative, the statement said. Both people, a couple in their 70s from the Yukon, are in a hospital in Victoria.

The four Canadian cruise passengers returned to British Columbia last Sunday. Besides the couple, there was a person in their 70s from Vancouver Island and a British Columbia person in their 50s who lives abroad.

All are in isolation.

Three people have died since the hantavirus outbreak began on the cruise ship MV Hondius. The Canadian patient is the 10th person from the ship to test positive.

Among the three who died are a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.

The Canadian public health agency said it is taking a precautionary approach to ensure citizens are protected.

“The overall risk to the general population in Canada from the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship remains low at this time,” the statement said. “All confirmed cases to date have been passengers or crew on the MV Hondius cruise ship."

The agency said it provided the information about the positive case to the World Health Organization and will share information to support the ongoing global investigation of the outbreak.