Ontario couple exposed to 2026 Andes virus on cruise ship remains asymptomatic under 45-day monitoring

Ontario's chief medical officer reports two Ontario residents who were exposed to the 2026 Andes virus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship are asymptomatic and isolating in the Grey Bruce Public Health Unit area. The couple, who disembarked in St. Helena in late April, were exposed during a connecting flight from Johannesburg where an infected passenger was present. They are being monitored for 45 days—the maximum incubation period for Andes virus. Provincial health authorities have determined the risk to the general Ontario public is minimal. The cruise ship itself has documented eight confirmed cases with three deaths among passengers and crew. Four additional Canadians remain aboard the vessel, which is en route to the Canary Islands with over 140 asymptomatic passengers and crew members.