WHO director says he will personally oversee hantavirus cruise evacuation
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will personally oversee the evacuation of over 100 people from a cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak near Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Eight people onboard were infected, with three deaths reported; passengers will be quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus.Key Facts
- The cruise ship MV Hondius is approaching Tenerife, Canary Islands, to evacuate passengers due to a hantavirus outbreak.
- Eight people on the ship have confirmed or suspected hantavirus cases, with three deaths reported.
- None of the 147 people currently on board show symptoms; the passengers include 60 crew members and 17 Americans.
- The Americans will be taken off by small boats and flown under CDC supervision to a quarantine center in Nebraska for 42 days.
- Other countries will conduct similar evacuations for their citizens and keep them in isolation for 42 days.
- The hantavirus found is the Andes strain, which can spread between people but has a low risk of widespread transmission.
- The outbreak likely began from a Dutch couple infected in South America before boarding the cruise.
- WHO says the public health risk is low and clarified this situation is different from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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