Topline
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director-general, will travel to the Spanish island of Tenerife to directly oversee the evacuation of nearly 150 people from the MV Hondius cruise ship, which has become the focal point of hantavirus outbreak concerns after three people aboard the ship died from the highly fatal disease.
Ghebreyesus issued the statement Saturday morning.
Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Key Facts
Ghebreyesus said in a lengthy statement directed to the people of Tenerife that he will be in attendance for the strictly monitored evacuation, which will take people from the ship, all of which remain non-symptomatic, to the industrial port of Granadilla and then taken back to their respective countries.
The WHO chief said the risk to Tenerife residents is low, adding the island has been chosen for the evacuation due to its infrastructure, medical capacity and “humanity” to help those aboard the ship “reach safety.”
Ghebreyesus acknowledged concerns from Tenerife, saying, “I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” adding, “The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment.”
Ghebreyesus thanked the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for the country’s decision to accept WHO’s request to receive the ship, which was “made in full accordance with the International Health Regulations,” Ghebreyesus said.
What We Know About The Hondius Evacuation
Spanish authorities have a step-by-step plan in place to ferry the Hondius passengers ashore to the port of Granadilla, which is far from residential areas, according to Ghebreyesus. The passengers will then be placed in sealed and guarded vehicles that will drive through a cordoned off route, the WHO chief added. The passengers will be taken directly to an airport runway, where planes bound for their respective countries will be waiting, according to CBS News, which cited a press conference given by Spanish officials Friday. Ghebreyesus said the people of Tenerife will not encounter the passengers. An ABC report citing an official from the Canarias Region government said passengers will wear full protective equipment, while those who are not ready to be transferred to the airport will remain on the ship.
Tangent
Health officials are directly monitoring people in California, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey who were either aboard the Hondius or potentially exposed to Hondius passengers who disembarked from the ship before the outbreak was discovered. The states have not yet reported symptoms among the people being monitored.
Key Background
The Hondius first departed Argentina at the start of April. Nearly two weeks later, a 70-year-old man aboard the ship died before his body was removed from the vessel. The man’s wife died in Johannesburg after collapsing at an airport in South Africa, with health officials confirming she had the Andes variant of the hantavirus. The variant is the only known version of hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission through close and prolonged contact. Hantavirus is contracted through inhalation or contact with rodent excrement or saliva. A German national suspected of contracting hantavirus died aboard the ship and a British passenger was evacuated after contracting the illness. The WHO confirmed the ship outbreak on May 2, weeks after the first passenger died. WHO officials said on May 6 that lab-confirmed hantavirus cases increased to five with at least three additional suspected cases aboard the Hondius. Officials with the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control have insisted the risk of a large-scale outbreak remains low.
Further Reading
Hantavirus Cruise Passengers Will Be Evacuated Soon, Report Says (Latest Updates) (Forbes)
