The WHO Director-General reassured residents of Tenerife that a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arriving for passenger evacuation is 'not another COVID,' despite local anxieties and an international effort to manage the outbreak and trace previously disembarked individuals.
The World Health Organization's head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, sought to calm fears in Tenerife, Spain, assuring residents that the hantavirus outbreak on an arriving cruise ship is 'not another COVID.' He emphasized the current public health risk remains low, acknowledging public worry but stating memories of 2020 should not equate this situation to the pandemic. The Hondius cruise ship, with no passengers currently showing symptoms, is heading to Tenerife for evacuation. While hantavirus can be life-threatening and usually spreads from rodent droppings, not easily human-to-human, the Andes strain detected in this outbreak can rarely spread between people. The outbreak has resulted in three deaths and five confirmed infections among passengers who previously left the ship. Tenerife residents expressed concern, with some questioning why the ship was coming to their island, while others balanced empathy for passengers with safety worries. Authorities detailed strict evacuation plans: the ship will anchor offshore, passengers will be ferried off, screened for symptoms, and immediately transferred to waiting flights. Passengers can only take essential items, leaving most luggage behind. Evacuation flights, including those from the U.S. and U.K., are planned for Sunday and Monday, with Spanish passengers facing medical quarantine. A medical evacuation plane is on standby via the EU civil protection mechanism. The ship, with some crew and a deceased passenger's body, will then proceed to the Netherlands for disinfection. International efforts are underway to track over two dozen passengers who disembarked across four continents before the hantavirus outbreak was officially confirmed on May 2, nearly two weeks after the first passenger's death, highlighting a significant contact tracing challenge.
