26 ‘Low-Risk’ Air Passengers Contacted as Canada Takes ‘Precautionary Approach’ to Hantavirus Outbreak

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Joss Reimer provides an update about the Andes hantavirus and actions taken by the Government of Canada during a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on May 14, 2026. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada’s chief public health officer says 26 people across the country are being contacted after sharing flights with passengers linked to the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship, though officials consider their risk low.

The 26 individuals were being asked to self-monitor for symptoms of hantavirus as part of a “precautionary approach” to the outbreak, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Joss Reimer said during a press conference on May 14.