Tenerife. Photo: Shutterstock World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the first group of passengers has begun evacuating from the MV Hondius cruise ship, where the Andes strain of the hantavirus broke out.
According to Ghebreyesus, WHO experts are working on-site with Spain's Health Ministry to conduct epidemiological assessments of passengers and coordinate rescue flights in collaboration with the Spanish Interior Ministry.
In his statement, Tedros emphasized that cooperation between all involved parties remains vital to ensure a safe and well-managed evacuation.
The evacuation follows days of heightened tension over the ship's arrival in Tenerife, after three passengers died from the virus. Authorities say passengers are being transferred under strict quarantine and security protocols, with no contact with the local public.
The evacuation comes after Tedros personally addressed Tenerife residents yesterday in an effort to ease public fears, clarifying that "this is not corona" and stating that the risk to the local population remains low. He also noted that there are currently no symptomatic passengers aboard the ship and that the operation is being fully supervised by both Spanish authorities and the World Health Organization.
Earlier this week, the Spanish government agreed to allow the MV Hondius to dock in the Canary Islands despite objections from the Canary Islands' president and widespread public concern. The decision followed pressure from the WHO and the European Union to find a coordinated solution for the passengers who had been stranded at sea for weeks. Meanwhile, Swiss authorities confirmed another case of a passenger from the ship diagnosed with the hantavirus.
MV Hondius Ship. Photo: Mystic Stock Photography / Shutterstock.com