British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer confirmed Monday that a second cruise ship passenger has tested presumptive positive for hantavirus, raising the case count to two individuals connected to the same voyage and intensifying contact tracing efforts that now span multiple Canadian provinces and several US states. The announcement, made at a joint press briefing with the BC Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, marks a significant escalation in the public health response that began when the first confirmed case was reported over the weekend.

The BC Centre for Disease Control said it is working directly with the cruise line operator and the Public Health Agency of Canada to notify all passengers and crew members who shared common spaces during the relevant voyage. Officials declined to name the specific vessel, citing privacy protocols, but confirmed that notifications have been sent to passengers with last known addresses in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Washington State, and California.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC's Provincial Health Officer, stressed that hantavirus does not spread through person-to-person contact under normal circumstances and that the shared exposure likely occurred through a rodent-contaminated environment at a port of call or shore excursion site visited during the itinerary. 'We are not dealing with a communicable outbreak in the traditional sense,' Dr. Henry said. 'Our priority is identifying anyone who may have had the same environmental exposure so they can be monitored for early symptoms.'

The Public Health Agency of Canada issued updated guidance Monday urging anyone who travelled on the identified voyage and is experiencing fever, muscle aches, or shortness of breath to contact their local public health authority immediately and avoid visiting emergency rooms without calling ahead. PHAC confirmed it has been in close communication with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is separately monitoring dozens of contacts south of the border following the initial case disclosure.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome carries a case fatality rate of approximately 35 to 40 percent, making early identification and supportive care critical. Infectious disease specialists at Vancouver General Hospital, where the first patient remains in isolation, said the individual's condition was serious but stable. Canadian health authorities said they expect to provide a further update by Tuesday once confirmatory laboratory results from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg are finalised for the second case.