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.

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DESCRIBES UNCERTAINTY AFTER 3 DEATHS AMID HANTAVIRUS PROBE

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.

RARE HANTAVIRUS HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION SUSPECTED ON LUXURY CRUISE SHIP WHERE 3 HAVE DIED

The rare Andes virus, which was linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, is the only known hantavirus strain that has the capability to spread from person to person, usually through prolonged close contact. (Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu)

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.

HANTAVIRUS DEATHS ON CRUISE SHIP HIGHLIGHT DANGERS OF RODENT-BORNE DISEASE

Pictured is the MV Hondius, the cruise ship tied to a hantavirus outbreak after a stop in Argentina that left three passengers dead. (Europa Press Canarias via Getty Images)

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.

TRAPPED CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER SHARES UPDATE ON CLEANLINESS OF SHIP AMID DEADLY HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK

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.

Passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken Hondius cruise ship walk with their belongings after disembarking at Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands, on May 12. (Piroschka van de Wouw)

«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.

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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.

Top Trump administration officials, Republican lawmakers and prominent Christian leaders gathered on the National Mall on Sunday for a massive prayer rally celebrating America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

The event — «Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving» — drew thousands for worship music, speeches and prayers focused on reaffirming the United States as «One Nation Under God.»

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and House Speaker Mike Johnson all addressed the gathering, alongside numerous other political and faith figures.

In a prerecorded message, Trump read from 2 Chronicles 7, reciting the well-known Bible verse calling on people to «humble themselves» and seek God.

TRUMP CALLS ON AMERICANS TO PRAY FOR NATION AS 250TH BIRTHDAY APPROACHES: ‘ONE NATION UNDER GOD’

«If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land,» Trump said.

Vance described the United States as «a nation of prayer,» saying faith has shaped the country since before its founding.

«In times of suffering and in times of triumph, millions of Americans continue to turn to prayer and their faith in God,» Vance said.

Rubio similarly tied America’s identity to Christianity.

«From the beginning, we have carried the belief that our country represents something new in the world,» Rubio said. «But the soul of our nation has always been rooted in an ancient faith.»

Gabbard urged Americans to humble themselves before God, saying the nation’s founders «knelt» and «asked for God’s mercy» before declaring independence.

FOR 2026, YOU SHOULD MAKE A RESOLUTION TO KNOW THE REVOLUTION

Johnson delivered a prayer of «rededication,» thanking God for guiding the nation since its founding.

«Heavenly Father, we thank you,» Johnson said. «Thank you so much for this great day that you’ve given us here, and we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning.»

Hegseth referenced George Washington’s faith, while Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., spoke about Christianity’s role in shaping the nation and argued prayer was central to the Civil Rights Movement.

Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., praised Trump for encouraging Americans to «rededicate America to God.»

«This nation was founded on godly principles,» Alveda King told Fox News, adding that Martin Luther King Jr., «spoke to a crowd like this in 1963.»

Actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in «The Chosen,» also spoke at the event, encouraging Americans to recommit themselves to faith and prayer.

NEARLY 500 PUBLIC FIGURES FROM POLITICS TO HOLLYWOOD WILL READ BIBLE COVER TO COVER TO MARK AMERICA’S 250TH

House Speaker Mike Johnson delivers a prayer during «Rededicate 250» on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 2026. (Matthew Hatcher/AFP)

The event also featured appearances from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, evangelist Franklin Graham, along with performances from Grammy-winning Christian artist Chris Tomlin, among others.

Many attendees wore patriotic colors as they packed the National Mall.

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Freedom 250, the nonprofit behind the event, said the gathering is part of a broader effort leading up to America’s semiquincentennial celebration on July 4, 2026.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

La Oficina de Asuntos del Hemisferio Occidental de Estados Unidos aseguró este domingo que los bloqueos y las protestas sociales que se llevan adelante en Bolivia son intentos de desestabilizar al gobierno de Rodrigo Paz.

“En Bolivia, los disturbios y bloqueos han generado una crisis humanitaria, causando escasez de medicamentos, alimentos y combustible”, aseguró el organismo a través de un comunicado emitido en su cuenta oficial de X.

En esa línea, agregó: “Condenamos todas las acciones destinadas a desestabilizar al gobierno elegido democráticamente de Rodrigo Paz y apoyamos sus esfuerzos por restablecer el orden en favor de la paz, la seguridad y la estabilidad del pueblo boliviano”.

Según reportes de las últimas horas, persisten al menos 15 puntos de bloqueo en La Paz, donde se registraron enfrentamientos entre manifestantes y fuerzas de seguridad durante operativos oficiales destinados a habilitar un “corredor humanitario” para el paso de suministros básicos.

Simpatizantes del expresidente Evo Morales mantienen cortes en rutas clave y ocuparon el aeropuerto de Chimoré, en Cochabamba, en medio de la tensión generada por una causa judicial contra el expresidente por presuntos delitos de trata de personas y abuso de menores.

En medio de las tensiones en el país vecino, el Gobierno argentino envió el sábado ayuda humanitaria.

“A solicitud del gobierno boliviano, y en virtud de la situación que ha derivado en el desabastecimiento de alimentos y bienes esenciales en varias ciudades del vecino país, el gobierno de la República Argentina ha decidido prestar su colaboración enviando un avión Hércules C-130 de la Fuerza Aérea Argentina para la realización de puentes aéreos para el transporte de alimentos”, informó el canciller Pablo Quirno en sus redes sociales.

La situación en Bolivia se agravó en los últimos días por cortes de rutas impulsados por la Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), sindicatos campesinos, mineros y transportistas, que reclaman mejoras salariales, provisión de combustibles y respuestas frente a la inflación y la escasez.

Según denunciaron autoridades de la administración boliviana, los bloqueos dejaron mercados semivacíos y hospitales con dificultades para acceder a reservas de oxígeno. El gobierno de Rodrigo Paz aseguró además que al menos tres personas murieron por falta de asistencia médica a raíz de los cortes.

En medio del conflicto, la Argentina coordinó el envío de asistencia para colaborar con el abastecimiento y aliviar la situación humanitaria, especialmente en La Paz y El Alto, las ciudades más afectadas por las protestas.

El gobierno boliviano debió incluso habilitar vuelos especiales para transportar más de 90.000 kilos de carne vacuna y pollo hacia esas regiones, donde los precios se dispararon y comenzaron a registrarse faltantes de productos básicos.

La tensión política también escala. En los últimos días varios sectores comenzaron a exigir la renuncia de Paz, que asumió hace apenas seis meses tras el final del ciclo del Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) y gobierna sin mayoría parlamentaria.

Leé también: El Gobierno argentino envió ayuda humanitaria a Bolivia ante una escasez de alimentos por bloqueos opositores

El presidente denunció que detrás de las protestas hay sectores que buscan “desestabilizar la democracia” y apuntó contra el expresidente Evo Morales, quien enfrenta pedidos de detención judicial por una causa de presunto abuso de menores. “Los que están buscando destrozar la democracia irán a la cárcel”, advirtió Paz mientras los bloqueos se extendían a gran parte del país.

Las manifestaciones comenzaron por reclamos sectoriales, pero se fueron ampliando a medida que empeoró la crisis económica. Bolivia atraviesa una fuerte escasez de dólares y combustibles, además de una inflación cercana al 20% anual, la más alta en décadas.