Canadian health officials on Sunday confirmed that one of four Canadians who returned from the MV Hondius cruise ship, the subject of an international Andes hantavirus outbreak, tested positive for hantavirus. Three people connected to the outbreak have died.

The Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed the positive test after British Columbia’s top public health officer previously described the case as a "presumptive positive."

"One individual’s sample was confirmed positive for hantavirus," the agency said in a statement.

Officials said additional testing will be conducted at a national laboratory. It was not immediately clear whether that testing was for confirmation, strain characterization or another purpose.

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The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring the rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius, which has sickened multiple passengers.

As of May 13, the World Health Organization said 11 cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case. Those figures included three deaths. The Associated Press later reported that the Canadian confirmation brought the number of people from the ship who had tested positive to 10.

Canadian health officials said four Canadians returned home from the MV Hondius, though only one has tested positive for the virus.

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The confirmed patient and a traveling companion — identified as a Yukon couple in their 70s — returned from the cruise together. The companion later tested negative, officials said.

A third person in their 70s from Vancouver Island remains in isolation, along with a British Columbia resident in their 50s.

So far, no confirmed U.S. cases tied to the cruise ship have been reported, though WHO said as of May 13 that one U.S.-repatriated passenger had inconclusive laboratory results and was undergoing retesting.

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Last week, however, health officials in Ontario County, New York, announced they were investigating a suspected locally acquired hantavirus case unrelated to the cruise ship.

The Ontario County Public Health Department said there was no risk to the general public. Officials also said the strain typically seen in the United States is not known to spread from person to person.

The outbreak linked to the MV Hondius began after the Dutch cruise ship, carrying 147 passengers and crew members, departed Argentina on April 1 for a South Atlantic voyage.

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The outbreak has prompted heightened precautions internationally, including in the Netherlands, where Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 staff members after officials said a hantavirus patient’s blood and urine were not handled under the strictest protocols recommended for the virus strain.

The outbreak has also sparked comparisons to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel previously told Fox News Digital there is "no comparison."

He noted hantavirus is difficult to spread.

"It's not airborne ... in terms of respiratory droplets hanging in the air," he said. "It's very difficult to transmit."

While coronavirus "moved in the direction of humans in a significant way," hantavirus has not, except for "very rare" cases of human-to-human transmission, he added.

The World Health Organization has assessed the risk to the global population as low, while noting that current evidence suggests subsequent human-to-human transmission may have occurred on board. Andes virus is the only hantavirus known to have documented person-to-person transmission, though such spread is considered rare.

Siegel also noted hantavirus cases have been reported in the United States for decades, though they remain "very rare."

Fox News Digital’s Brittany Miller and Angelica Stabile, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.

A bird-watching tour in a region that had never recorded a hantavirus case is now at the center of an urgent investigation, as Argentine officials examine whether a Dutch couple unknowingly brought the deadly virus aboard a cruise ship after a stop at a landfill.

Argentina’s leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple may have been exposed to rodents while visiting the landfill during the tour in the city of Ushuaia, contracting the virus before boarding the cruise ship, two Argentine officials investigating the origins of the outbreak told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) said human-to-human transfer is uncommon, but possible.

Authorities previously said Ushuaia and surrounding Tierra del Fuego province had never recorded a hantavirus case.

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The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius ship is at the center of an outbreak that has already killed three passengers and sickened several others. Contact tracing is underway across Europe and Africa to track possible spread among passengers who have since disembarked.

Testing in Switzerland, South Africa and Senegal has confirmed that this is the Andes strain, according to authorities. The WHO says the variant is found primarily in Argentina and Chile and can spread through close contact, though rare.

Swiss officials said a man who returned from the cruise sought treatment after developing symptoms and was immediately isolated. They said he tested positive for the Andes strain.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that three suspected cases were evacuated from the vessel and are being transported to the Netherlands for treatment.

"At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low," Tedros said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has left three people dead and several others ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement posted to X.

The U.N. health agency said one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, while five additional suspected cases are pending. Of the six people affected, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.

The WHO said it is coordinating with governments and the ship’s operator to arrange the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, while continuing to assess the public health risk to those still on board.

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"Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations," the WHO said. "Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing."

The outbreak is linked to the m/v Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the vessel, confirmed that three passengers died during the voyage and that one passenger is being treated in intensive care in Johannesburg.

Two crew members on board also require urgent medical care, the company said.

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As of late Sunday, authorities in Cape Verde had not authorized the disembarkation of passengers requiring medical treatment or broader medical screening, according to the company.

Local health officials have boarded the vessel to assess the situation but have not yet approved the transfer of symptomatic individuals to facilities on land.

"The priority of Oceanwide Expeditions is to ensure that the two symptomatic individuals on board receive adequate and expedited medical care," the company said.

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Dutch authorities are working to coordinate the repatriation of those affected from Cape Verde to the Netherlands, though the effort depends on approval from local officials, Oceanwide Expeditions said. 

Hantavirus infections are typically linked to exposure to infected rodents’ urine or feces and can lead to severe respiratory illness.

"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response," WHO said.

There is no specific cure for the virus, though early treatment can improve survival.

WHO said it has notified global health authorities under international regulations and is continuing to support the response.

"We are currently establishing the full facts and working on appropriate medical care, screening, and next steps," Oceanwide Expeditions said.

A 67-year-old Carnival Cruise passenger died last week while snorkeling off the coast of mainland Australia during an excursion.

The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was a passenger aboard the Carnival Splendor, which offers snorkeling excursions to the Tangalooma Wrecks. She reportedly drowned near Moreton Island on April 17, Cruise Hive reported.

"Carnival Cruise Line is deeply saddened by the death of a guest on Moreton Island on Friday," the cruise line told local media. "Our Care Team is supporting the guest’s family during this difficult time."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Carnival.

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Local authorities said the woman, a resident of Tasmania, was found unresponsive in the water.

"Attempts were made to revive the woman, however, she was pronounced deceased at the scene," a Queensland Police spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Investigations are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding her death."

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The death occurred during the ship's four-night round trip cruise from Sydney, which included two days at sea and 10 hours at Moreton Island.

The waters around the island, located off the coast of Brisbane, are generally calm and are known for shipwreck snorkeling sites and diverse marine life.

The woman's death occurred only hours before another emergency on the same ship. On April 18, a passenger in his 70s reportedly climbed over the vessel's safety rails and went overboard.

An intensive search lasted for several hours before being suspended. The two incidents are not believed to be linked.