Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius has arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on board killed three passengers and sickened others.
The vessel reached the port of Granadilla in Tenerife escorted by a Spanish Civil Guard ship, with most of the nearly 150 passengers and crew expected to evacuate and return home after weeks at sea.
Three passengers, a Dutch couple and a German woman, died among eight confirmed and suspected cases of the rare disease, which is usually spread by rodents.
Health Authorities confirmed cases of the Andes virus, the only hantavirus strain known to spread between humans, raising international concern.
WHO officials said all passengers and crew are being treated as “high-risk contacts,” but stressed the risk to the wider public remains low. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who travelled to Tenerife ahead of the operation, told residents: “This is not another Covid.”
Countries are arranging flights for asymptomatic passengers, while those disembarking will be monitored for 42 days.
TRT
