3 Canadians isolating at home after hantavirus ship outbreak, government says

TORONTO – Three people with connections to a deadly hantavirus-stricken cruise are isolating at home in Ontario and Quebec, the federal government said Thursday as consular officials headed to the Canary Islands to meet four Canadians who remain on board. 

Two Canadian passengers disembarked on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena almost two weeks ago, according to Dutch-based Oceanwide Expeditions. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said they were on the same returning flight as a third Canadian who was not on the vessel.

Quebec’s health minister said that third Canadian, from Quebec, was not on the ship but is isolating because they possibly came into contact during an international trip with a person infected with hantavirus.

However, a statement from the minister says they “were not in close proximity, and the risk of transmission is therefore extremely low.”

In a statement posted online, Anand said all three Canadians are asymptomatic and have been self-isolating. 

Federal officials have not yet responded to questions from The Canadian Press on when and where affected people arrived in Canada, or whether public-health officials would brief media.

The World Health Organization said Thursday it has received reports of eight cases, including three deaths, in connection to the MV Hondius outbreak of the rodent-borne Andes virus, the only hantavirus known to be capable of limited transmission between humans.

“Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Anand said in her statement that Ottawa has been in touch with four Canadians who are among those still on the cruise, while consular officials are on their way to the Canary Islands to monitor the situation. The boat is anticipated to disembark in Granadilla, Tenerife on Sunday morning, but the cruise operator says that may change. 

About 150 remaining passengers are isolating in their cabins and none are showing symptoms, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.

Anand and Health Minister Marjorie Michel would not take questions from reporters after a statement in Ottawa, but said a team is working across departments and that public-health protocols will be followed. 

Oceanwide Expeditions said the two Canadians who disembarked on April 24 were among 30 passengers from 12 countries who got off the boat that day, including the body of a Dutch man who died on April 11 and his symptomatic wife, who died the next day. 

The operator said a third death took place May 2 after a woman on the ship developed symptoms April 28. 

Quebec Health Minister Sonia Bélanger said the province was on alert for possible exposures to the virus, though risk to the population is “extremely low.” 

Earlier on Thursday, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said two residents have been isolating since they returned home and were not believed to be a transmission risk. 

“But it is fluid and we’ll continue to have those monitoring situations,” Jones said at a press conference. 

Jones said public health officials are monitoring the passengers daily to ensure they are isolating. 

She said the province is preparing to see if there are any other individuals who need to return to Canada and Ontario, and that they are working with federal partners to make sure there is a consistent approach.

She said the incubation and monitoring period will likely be around 30 days.

In previous outbreaks of Andes virus, transmission between people has been associated with close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members, intimate partners and people providing medical care, WHO’s director-general said. 

“That appears to be the case in the current situation,” he said. “While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2026.

— With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa