World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that "our work is not over" to contain hantavirus following evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak. The MV Hondius sparked international alarm after three passengers died from the rare virus, which has no vaccine or specific treatment.
Tedros stressed the global public health risk remains low and rejected comparisons to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. "There is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak," he told a joint news conference in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. However, he cautioned that the virus's long incubation period means more cases may emerge in the coming weeks.
More than 120 passengers and crew were flown from Spain's Canary Islands over the weekend, with most countries following WHO's 42-day quarantine and monitoring guidelines for high-risk contacts. Eighteen American passengers returned to the U.S. on Monday and are being monitored at medical facilities in Nebraska and Georgia.
U.S. CDC acting director Jay Bhattacharya said it does not make sense to sound "a five-alarm fire bell" because the public risk from hantavirus is "much, much lower" than COVID-19. Cape Verde refused to receive the ship, and Spain's decision to allow the vessel to anchor off the Canary Islands drew criticism from Cape Verde's government.