Consular officials are heading to the Canary Islands to meet with four Canadians still aboard the MV Hondius, a luxury cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak.
The strain involved has been identified as the Andes strain, the only version known to transmit between humans. Spanish authorities are preparing to receive more than 140 asymptomatic passengers and crew when the ship docks this weekend in Granadilla, Tenerife.
The federal government says three people with connections to the cruise are isolating at home in Ontario and Quebec, showing no symptoms. The World Health Organization reports eight cases, including three deaths, from this outbreak. Officials note while more cases are possible, hantaviruses do not spread easily, and this is unlikely to become an epidemic.