By Taiwo Umar
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued a rare direct public message to residents of Tenerife amid growing concern over the arrival of the cruise vessel MV Hondius linked to a hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed three lives.
In a strongly worded appeal addressed specifically to the people of Tenerife, Tedros sought to reassure residents that the public health threat posed by the situation remains low, even as authorities prepare to receive passengers from the vessel under strict containment procedures. The WHO chief acknowledged lingering fears tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, telling residents that he understood the anxiety triggered by the word “outbreak.”
“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” Tedros said. “But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low.”
According to the WHO Director-General, the outbreak onboard involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, a potentially serious disease primarily associated with rodent exposure. He confirmed that three people had died but stressed that no symptomatic passengers currently remain onboard the vessel. Tedros disclosed that a WHO expert had already been deployed to the ship and that medical supplies were in place as Spanish authorities coordinate a tightly controlled disembarkation and repatriation process.
He explained that passengers would be transported from the industrial port of Granadilla through what he described as a “completely cordoned-off corridor” using sealed and guarded vehicles before being flown directly back to their home countries. “You will not encounter them. Your families will not encounter them,” he assured residents.
Tedros also praised the Spanish government for agreeing to receive the ship, describing the move as “an act of solidarity and moral duty.” He revealed that the WHO formally requested Spain’s assistance under the framework of the International Health Regulations, which require the nearest medically capable port to assist during international public health emergencies. He specifically thanked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for supporting the operation.
“Tenerife has been chosen because it has the medical capacity, the infrastructure, and the humanity to help them reach safety,” Tedros stated. He added that nearly 150 passengers from 23 countries had remained stranded at sea for weeks, many of them grieving and desperate to return home safely.
In a further show of support, the WHO chief announced plans to travel personally to Tenerife to oversee the operation and stand alongside local health workers and emergency personnel managing the response. “I intend to travel to Tenerife to observe this operation firsthand, to stand alongside the health workers, port staff, and officials who are making it happen,” he said.
Tedros concluded by urging residents to remain calm and trust the containment measures already established by Spanish authorities. “Viruses do not care about politics, and they do not respect borders. The best immunity any of us has is solidarity,” he said, while also commending the ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, the crew, and the vessel’s operators for their cooperation throughout the crisis.
