Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says that four Canadians arriving in B.C., following their hantavirus exposure on a cruise ship, will not be in contact with the public during their isolation period.
The four Canadians are expected to arrive back in B.C. Sunday (May 10) after travelling on a Government of Canada-chartered aircraft accompanied by a Public Health Agency of Canada quarantine officer, according to a statement from Henry Sunday.
In total, there were six Canadians on the MV Hondius. The two others are isolating in Ontario.
Three people have died as a result of the virus connected to the cruise ship.
Henry said the four set to arrive in B.C. remain asymptomatic.
Once they arrive in B.C., they will be screened and assessed by local public health officials and then transported “directly to safe, pre-arranged lodgings, where they will begin an initial 21-day self-isolation period under daily monitoring by public health teams.”
Henry added that based on the incubation period associated with hantavirus, the isolation period could be extended to up to 42 days, if required.
“At no point during their arrival or isolation period will they be in contact with the public,” she said.
Henry said they will be monitored daily by local public health teams “to ensure that they remain well and are safely isolating.”
She said it has been a “very challenging time for these four Canadians,” adding that public health teams are committed to supporting them through this process.
“In the unlikely event that symptoms develop, British Columbia has established protocols, experienced clinical teams and specialized capacity, including the BC Biocontainment Treatment Centre at Surrey Memorial Hospital, to safely assess and care for patients.”
People in B.C., Henry said, may feel concerned by news like this, “particularly given experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.” But she said it is important to be clear that hantavirus is very different from respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19.
“It does not spread in the same way and is not considered a disease with pandemic potential.”
This particular strain of hantavirus causes a deep lung infection, Henry said.
“We have not seen transmission before people are quite ill. Even the early symptoms generally start with fever and feeling quite unwell.”
While B.C. doesn’t have the strain of hantavirus found on the ship, the province has seen a different strain in recent years. The last two cases in B.C. were in 2023, with Henry adding that the province sees an average of zero to two cases per year since it was first detected in the 1990s.
Henry is expected to provide another update on Monday, May 11.