Tenerife: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will travel to Tenerife, the largest of Spain's Canary Islands, to coordinate the evacuation of passengers from a cruise ship affected by the hantavirus. This development was reported by Irish public broadcaster RTE, citing Interior Ministry sources. Tedros will work alongside Spanish health and interior ministers at a command post on the island to ensure coordination between administrations, health control, and the application of surveillance and response protocols.
According to Anadolu Agency, regional authorities have emphasized that the evacuation must occur between Sunday and Monday due to worsening weather conditions in the Canary Islands. Regional government spokesman Alfonso Cabello mentioned that wind and swell conditions necessitate the ship's departure and that no further operations may be possible until the end of May. As per the evacuation plan, the vessel is expected to arrive off Tenerife early Sunday and anchor offshore, with passengers transferred to smaller boats before being taken to the airport for repatriation flights.
The operation involves nearly 150 passengers and crew from 23 different countries. The situation has raised international concern, with three deaths reported on board since the ship left Argentina in April. Previous evacuations took place off Cape Verde, while EU countries are expected to coordinate repatriations of their nationals once passengers disembark.
Two new suspected hantavirus cases have been reported in Spain and Tristan da Cunha, both linked to the same outbreak cluster. Despite this, WHO has repeatedly stated that the risk to the general public is low. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the hantavirus outbreak as a "Level 3" emergency response, the lowest level of emergency activation.
The outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus and has resulted in five confirmed cases, including three deaths among passengers connected to the voyage. The MV Hondius, carrying approximately 150 passengers and crew from 23 nationalities, departed from Argentina and crossed the Atlantic before reporting a cluster of respiratory illnesses while sailing off Cape Verde.