Three Canadians are currently isolating after returning from the cruise ship experiencing an outbreak of hantavirus.
Two of the passengers are currently in Ontario, and one is in Quebec, although they are reportedly all asymptomatic.
The rare viral infection, formally called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, has been making headlines after a cruise ship was hit with an outbreak.
There were eight cases of the virus on the cruise ship, and three passengers died.
Most cases of hantavirus come from exposure to rodents through their feces or urine, but are most commonly caught from unintentional inhalation of viral particles.
The BG Show spoke to Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto General Hospital, about the virus and the risk of human-to-human transmission. He explained hantavirus is a very serious illness.
“For example, you know, someone’s cleaning out a shed or a barn or the attic, and you’re sweeping up some debris, and you can accidentally aerosolize this and inhale it. And people get very, very sick from this,” Bogoch told The BG Show.
“Fortunately, we only see about three or four cases of this in Canada per year. Most of the cases are in Western Canada and the prairie provinces,” he adds.
The cruise ship MV Hondius was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde last month when the passengers started feeling feverish symptoms, including headaches, nausea and muscle aches, as well as gastrointestinal issues, pneumonia, severe respiratory distress and shock.
“I think there were probably more people who were exposed, and this virus has a bit of a longer incubation period, so it can take a bit of time before someone develops symptoms,” Bogoch explains.
“So we’ll probably see more cases of this over the coming days and week or so, and then I think very likely they’ll be able to get it under control pretty quickly.”
Meanwhile, many people have taken to social were taking to social media regarding their feelings of anxiety about the spread of hantavirus. However, Dr. Bogoch did confirm with The BG Show that this will not become another pandemic or lockdown like COVID-19.
“It’s the first time we’ve seen a Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, but this isn’t the first time [it has occurred.] There has been an outbreak of this type of hantavirus before,” he said.
