Ottawa says three Canadians self-isolating at home after hantavirus ship outbreak

Federal officials say three Canadians with connections to a deadly hantavirus-stricken cruise ship are self-isolating at home in Ontario and Quebec.

Two Canadians who were on the MV Hondius disembarked on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena almost two weeks ago.

They were on the same flight as a third Canadian who was not on the ship.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Thursday that the third Canadian, “may have come into contact with a symptomatic individual” and is among those being monitored by local authorities.

Two people are in Ontario, and one person is in Quebec — Anand said in a social media post that all three are asymptomatic and have been self-isolating.

“This individual is not considered a high-risk close contact by the World Health Organization,” reads the post.

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The passengers are expected to disembark the ship on Granadilla, Tenerife Sunday, but the cruise operator says that may change.

Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones confirms that two residents have been self-isolating since they returned home, and it is believed that they are not a transmission risk.

The minister says the incubation and monitoring period for the virus will likely take around 30 days.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that risk to the general public is low, and transmission between humans is limited.

WHO staff say eight cases have been reported including three deaths, and five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus and the other three are suspected.

They say people who disembarked at the island in St. Helena belonged to one of 12 countries, including Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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