The World Health Organization chief said
Saturday he had arrived in Spain and would join government officials to
oversee the disembarkation of a hantavirus-hit cruise ship in the Canary
Islands.
“I arrived in Spain, where I will join senior government officials in a
mission to Tenerife to oversee safe disembarkation of the passengers, crew
members and health experts from MV Hondius cruise ship,” Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus said on X.
Three passengers from the MV Hondius — a Dutch husband and wife and a German
woman — have died, while others have fallen sick with the rare disease,
which usually spreads among rodents.
The only hantavirus strain that can transmit from person to person — Andes
virus — has been confirmed among those who have tested positive, fuelling
international concern.
The Dutch-flagged vessel, which has around 150 people on board, is expected
to arrive at the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife on Sunday. Special flights
will then take passengers to their home countries.
Tedros said he was “in direct communication with captain Jan Dobrogowski and
WHO colleague on board Dr Freddy Banza-Mutoka, who told me that, at this
stage, there are no additional people on board showing symptoms of
hantavirus”.
“WHO continues to actively monitor the situation, coordinate support and next
steps and will keep Member States and the public updated accordingly,” he
said, stressing that “so far, the risk for the population of Canary Islands
and globally remains low”.
The Spanish prime minister’s office said that Tedros would meet Pedro Sanchez
at his official residence at 1500 GMT Saturday, before he leaves for the
Spanish archipelago.
Tedros will accompany Spain’s health and interior ministers to a command post
in Tenerife “to ensure coordination between administrations, health control,
and the application of the planned surveillance and response protocols”,
Spanish ministry sources said.
