WHO Chief Says Hantavirus Cruise Ship Public Risk Remains Low

(MENAFN) World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus moved to calm public anxiety Saturday, assuring residents of the Spanish island of Tenerife that the health risk was contained as the cruise ship MV Hondius — struck by a hantavirus outbreak — neared the Canary Islands.

The vessel, with 147 people aboard, was projected to dock between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time Sunday (0300–0500 GMT). Three passengers have died and five others have tested positive since the outbreak surfaced following the ship's departure from Cape Verde.

In an open letter addressed to Canary Islands residents, Tedros acknowledged community concerns while firmly contextualizing the situation: "This is not another COVID."

"The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low," he said, noting that WHO specialists and medical supplies were already deployed aboard the vessel.

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia offered additional reassurance late Saturday, stating, "All passengers are asymptomatic," and characterizing the multinational response — spanning 23 countries — as "unprecedented."

Spanish authorities announced that passengers would disembark at Granadilla's industrial port before being transported in sealed vehicles directly to airports for repatriation and home-country quarantine. The 14 Spanish nationals on board will be transferred to military facilities near Madrid ahead of quarantine at Hospital Gomez Ulla.

Separately, a woman hospitalized in Alicante after contact with one of the deceased passengers tested negative for hantavirus Saturday, Spanish health officials confirmed.

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