Virus-Hit Cruise Ship Bound for Tenerife as WHO Chief Steps In
A cruise ship carrying dozens of passengers sick with hantavirus is scheduled to dock in Tenerife early Sunday, ending weeks of uncertainty at sea for 140 travelers and crew. The Dutch-flagged Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, has confirmed at least eight cases of the rodent-borne illness, with three deaths linked to the outbreak so far.
Spanish emergency services chief Virginia Barcones said passengers will be taken to a sealed-off area upon arrival. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is already on the island to oversee the evacuation, according to Spanish officials.
WHO officials stressed that this is not a repeat of COVID-19. “The virus does not spread easily between people,” said spokesman Christian Lindmeier. Tedros addressed worried Tenerife residents directly in a letter posted Saturday, acknowledging their anxiety but insisting: “You will not encounter these passengers. Your families will not encounter them.”
Passengers showing symptoms will be flown to the Netherlands for treatment; others will be screened and sent home. The WHO confirmed one health officer, along with officials from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, is already aboard the ship.
Hantavirus is typically contracted through contact with infected rodent droppings. However, the Andes strain detected on the Hondius can, in rare cases, pass between people. Symptoms appear one to eight weeks after exposure.
Local residents have voiced concerns. The activist group Iustitia Europa called for the ship to be turned away, saying the Canary Islands “cannot become Europe’s health laboratory.” Alicia Rodriguez, a Tenerife bar owner, said the ship “has been the talk of the town.”
Passengers, meanwhile, fear the reception they’ll face. “We’re heading into the eye of a hurricane,” one anonymous traveler said. “There are 140 human beings here.”
Spanish authorities plan to ferry passengers ashore in small boats, then bus them directly to waiting flights, with the airport cordoned off for the operation.