WHO chief seeks to reassure Tenerife residents over hantavirus cruise ship arrival
The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew, is en route to the Spanish island and is expected to arrive early Sunday.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has moved to reassure residents of Spain's Canary Island of Tenerife ahead of the expected arrival of a cruise ship carrying passengers exposed to hantavirus, saying the public health risk remains low.
The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew, is en route to the Spanish island and is expected to arrive early Sunday. The vessel is believed to have been affected by a hantavirus outbreak during its voyage.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, is scheduled to travel to Tenerife on Saturday to oversee coordination of disembarkation procedures.
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Concerns have been raised among some local residents who fear possible transmission of the virus, while some passengers have also expressed anxiety about their reception upon arrival.
"I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word "outbreak" and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment.," Tedros said in a message to Tenerife residents.
"But I need you to hear me clearly: This is not another COVID. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now," he added.
According to health officials, three people have died and five passengers who left the ship have tested positive for hantavirus infection. The virus is typically transmitted through contact with contaminated rodent droppings and is not easily spread between humans, although rare person-to-person transmission has been linked to the Andes strain.
The WHO, Spanish authorities and the cruise operator Oceanwide stated that no one currently on board the vessel is showing symptoms. Tedros also said the WHO continues to monitor the situation and coordinate response measures, adding that the risk to both the Canary Islands and the wider world remains low.
