Hantavirus, typically spread by infected rats, has seen six confirmed cases of the “Andes” subtype connected to a cruise ship, with two probable cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Andes subtype is the only variant known to spread among humans.
The WHO aims to calm fears that this outbreak could lead to a global health emergency comparable to Covid-19. Plans by the Spanish government to allow the cruise ship, MV Hondius, to arrive in Tenerife have sparked controversy, including among Canary Islands leaders.
The ship will anchor off Tenerife without docking, and passengers will be transported to the industrial port of Granadilla in “sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor” before being repatriated, according to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Ghebreyesus will travel to Tenerife with Spain’s interior and health ministers to manage the cruise ship’s arrival. He addressed Tenerife’s residents via social media, acknowledging their concerns while emphasizing, “this is not another Covid.”
“The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low,” Ghebreyesus stated.
Ghebreyesus plans to “stand alongside the health workers, port staff, and officials who are making [the operation] happen, and to personally pay my respects to an island that has responded to a difficult situation with grace, solidarity, and compassion.”
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