World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has assured residents of Tenerife that the hantavirus pandemic outbreak aboard a cruise ship. He said it does not pose a pandemic risk, insisting this is not another COVID-19.
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Hantavirus pandemic: Tedros assures Tenerife residents no pandemic risk
In a letter to the Spanish island’s community, Tedros acknowledged growing fears as the virus-carrying vessel MV Hondius approaches their shores. He emphasised that the current hantavirus pandemic risk remains low.
Tedros wrote that this was not another COVID-19, that the current public health risk from hantavirus remained low. He added that he and his colleagues had said this unequivocally and would say it again to the residents.
The Andes strain of hantavirus aboard the ship has claimed three lives. However, Tedros stressed that no symptomatic passengers remain on board currently.
Tedros explained that Spain’s authorities have prepared a meticulous containment plan. Passengers will disembark at Granadilla’s industrial port, travel in sealed, guarded vehicles through a cordoned-off corridor, and face immediate repatriation to their home countries.
“You will not encounter them. Your families will not encounter them,” he assured residents.
WHO chief to travel to island, praises Spain’s ‘act of solidarity’
Tedros revealed that he personally thanked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for the nation’s decision to accept the ship. He called it an act of solidarity and moral duty.
The WHO chief announced he will travel to Tenerife to observe the operation firsthand, standing alongside health workers and port staff managing the response.
“Your humanity deserves to be witnessed, not just acknowledged from a distance,” he wrote.
Nearly 150 people from 23 countries remain on board, some grieving and all longing for home. A WHO expert currently accompanies the vessel, with medical supplies already in place.
Meanwhile, three of the world’s leading health and humanitarian agencies condemned the international community’s failure to protect healthcare workers. This includes hospitals and patients in conflict zones.
The agencies include the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Doctors Without Borders (MSF).