The MV Hondius cruise ship, where three passengers have died from hantavirus, is approaching Spain's Canary Islands for evacuation of most of its nearly 150 passengers.
The Dutch-flagged vessel left Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and is due to reach waters off Tenerife at dawn on Sunday. The WHO has now confirmed six cases, with the Andes virus identified, which can spread person to person.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told residents of Tenerife that “this is not another Covid,” stressing the risk to the public remains low. Spanish authorities plan to keep the vessel offshore and screen passengers for evacuation between Sunday and Monday.
Passengers will move in nationality groups through sealed areas with no contact with locals, according to Spain’s health and interior ministers. Several countries are also tracking others who disembarked earlier and may have had contact with infected individuals. This follows the WHO's earlier confirmation of five cases and three deaths, with patients in the Netherlands and South Africa showing improvement.
