Hantavirus | Cruise ship arrives at the Canary Islands today WHO: No outbreak on the scale of COVID-19

The Dutch cruise ship Hantaan Virus outbreak ship, the Huan Di, is expected to arrive at Tenerife, the largest island in the Canary Islands, this afternoon Hong Kong time. Multiple countries will arrange charter flights to transport passengers and crew back home for quarantine and inspection. The World Health Organization emphasizes that evacuation will be carried out via sealed channels, and the Hantaan virus still poses a very low risk to public health.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus went to Tenerife, Spain. In a public letter, he emphasized that the risk of the Hantaan virus to public health remains low and will not trigger an outbreak on a scale similar to COVID-19. Tedros said that there are currently no symptomatic passengers on board, a WHO expert has boarded the ship, and medical supplies have also been prepared. In addition, the entire process will be handled under sealed management. Cruise passengers will take dedicated vehicles, leave the port via sealed channels under supervision, and then depart on a charter flight, without coming into contact with residents along the way.

Workers on Tenerife recently held protests against the Huan Di ship approaching the port, fearing health risks. The outbreak has claimed 3 deaths so far, and some infected cases involve the Andes strain, which can be transmitted from person to person. The death rate among people infected with the Hantaan virus is as high as 40%. There are currently no specific drugs or preventive vaccines.

On Saturday local time, Tedros met Spain’s Prime Minister Sánchez in Madrid, Spain. Later that afternoon, he flew to Tenerife, accompanied by Spain’s Minister of Health and the Minister of the Interior. Spain’s Minister of Health, García, said that after all passengers and more than 10 crew members are evacuated, the remaining roughly 30 crew members, the passengers’ luggage, and the bodies of the deceased will continue to remain on the ship, and once the cruise arrives in the Netherlands, it will undergo full disinfection.

Sánchez said that arranging for passengers to evacuate and return home from the Canary Islands is a moral and legal responsibility.

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