World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced he will personally oversee the evacuation of more than 100 people from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which is dealing with an outbreak of the rare and deadly hantavirus.
"I will be there myself," Tedros stated in a letter to the people of the Canary Islands, where the ship is set to anchor off Tenerife. He plans to travel to the island to observe the operation firsthand.
The ship is expected to reach Tenerife just before dawn on Sunday local time. Nine people have confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus, and three have died. None of the 147 people currently on board, including 60 crew members, are showing symptoms.
Seventeen Americans on the MV Hondius will be taken off the ship in a small boat and immediately flown to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, via a U.S. government-provided plane. The WHO recommends each country keep evacuated passengers in isolation for 42 days.
Health experts confirm the outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be transmitted through close contact with a sick individual. However, Tedros emphasized that this is not another COVID-19, and the public health risk remains low.