SouthernWorldwide.com – Seventeen Americans are among 150 individuals being evacuated from the M/V Hondius cruise ship following an outbreak of a Hantavirus strain. This development coincides with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief emphasizing that the trending virus is “not another COVID-19.”
The cruise ship is scheduled to anchor off the coast of Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, will follow shortly after.
In a comprehensive message posted to X on Saturday morning, Ghebreyesus reassured the global public that the risk posed by Hantavirus to public health remains low.
He acknowledged the public’s concern, stating, “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.”
Ghebreyesus continued by recognizing the lingering pain from 2020, emphasizing, “The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now.”
The WHO Director-General announced his intention to personally visit Tenerife, the Canary Island where passengers will disembark after leaving the cruise ship.
“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, and to personally pay my respects to an island that has responded to a difficult situation with grace, solidarity, and compassion,” he stated.
He further highlighted the importance of unity in global health efforts. “Your humanity deserves to be witnessed, not just acknowledged from a distance. As I have said many times: viruses do not care about politics, and they do not respect borders. The best immunity any of us has is solidarity,” the WHO head added.
Despite his reassurances, Dr. Tedros also urged the public to remain vigilant against the virus, which has tragically claimed three lives aboard the cruise ship.
“The virus aboard the MV Hondius is the Andes strain of hantavirus. It is serious. Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families,” he said, while once again reiterating that the public health risk was assessed as low.
The U.S. government is planning to further evacuate American passengers to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring, as previously reported by Fox News Digital.
Former President Donald Trump commented on the outbreak, informing reporters on Friday, “We have very good people looking at it. It seems to be okay. They know the virus very well. They’ve worked with it for a long time. They know it very well. Not easy to pass on. So we hope that’s true.”
“Our American passengers, they’re gonna be taken to Nebraska, to a center where they will be monitored. They will be isolated, they’ll check their vital signs, their temperature, their oxygen level, their blood pressure,” Dr. Janet Nesheiwat, a former nominee for Surgeon General, told Fox News on Saturday.
She elaborated on the medical approach, stating, “If they start to develop any symptoms, we can intervene early. Because as it is right now, there’s no specific treatment for this virus other than supportive care, like oxygen, fluids, hydration, analgesics.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the WHO and the CDC for additional comments but did not receive an immediate response.
Read more : Single Workout Reduces Cravings, Offering Hope for Smokers Quitting
Brittany Miller of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
