The ship arrived off the Canary Islands after being at sea for several weeks at the center of the international public health response to the hantavirus outbreak, which has killed three people.
Who Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is leading a team in Tenerife, stressed that the risk to the wider public is low.
“This is not another COVID,he told reporters during a media stakeout on Sunday, adding that “The risk to the public is low” And people “should not be afraid and should not panic.”
There have been eight cases linked to the ship, six of which have been laboratory confirmed as hantavirus infections as of Friday, all identified as Andes virus (AndV), although no new deaths have been reported since May 2.
Click here for WHO factsheet on Hantavirus
landing task
Disembarkation operations began early in the morning, with Spanish health officials boarding the ship to assess passengers and crew before transferring them to shore in stages depending on nationality and flight availability.
Passengers and crew from Spain, France, Canada and the Netherlands were among the first groups to leave the ship, according to Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHO head of health operations in Tenerife.
“It has been extremely intense, but also very well organized,He said during WHO media briefing.
About 46 passengers and crew members were expected to disembark on Sunday, with operations continuing until Monday. About 30 crew members are expected to remain on board when the ship returns to the Netherlands with the medical team.
repatriation flights
WHO officials said no passengers will travel on commercial flights. Instead, chartered repatriation flights are being coordinated with national authorities under strict health protocols.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemiology and pandemic management, said passengers and crew would undergo six weeks of active health monitoring due to the incubation period of the virus.
“Our recommendation is for active follow-up, which means daily monitoring, checking for fever or other symptoms.” He SaidSaying that WHO recommends home or facility-based quarantine and monitoring for 42 days.
“This is really a cautious approach to ensure that we have no opportunity to spread this virus to others. “We’ve also recommended that they wear a respirator when they get off the boat and when they’re around others for that extra layer of protection.”
hantavirus disease
Hantavirus is a rare disease that is usually associated with contact with infected rodents and can cause severe respiratory illness. The Andes strain associated with the outbreak is the only known hantavirus strain with documented human-to-human transmission, although WHO has said transmission risk remains low.
The agency said the operation in Tenerife involved close coordination between Spain, the Netherlands, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and WHO teams on the ground.
“This is what WHO does,Dr. Van Kerkhove said, noting that the agency regularly coordinates international responses to infectious disease threats, even when public attention is limited.
