Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship: First Passengers Evacuated in Tenerife

The arrival of the two Irish passengers in their home country is also expected by evening, according to Irish Infrastructure Minister Jack Chambers.

Risk Assessment and International Responses

"This is a serious situation, but WHO assesses the public health risk as low," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "This is not the start of a pandemic," emphasized acting Emergency Coordinator Maria van Kerkhove.

Hantaviruses are typically transmitted by infected rodents such as rats or mice. Even if the Andes virus were transmitted by evacuated passengers, the virus is not easily spread further, "making it unlikely to result in many infections or a large-scale outbreak in the general population," reported the EU health agency ECDC.

Background and Next Steps

The cruise ship "Hondius," affected by a Hantavirus outbreak, docked early Sunday morning at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife. The evacuation of passengers from 23 countries is now fully underway.

"I will only be at ease once all passengers have left the island and the 'Hondius' has resumed its journey to the Netherlands," said Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands government.