'This is not another COVID-19,' stated the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, this Saturday to the population of Tenerife, to whose coast the cruise ship where a hantavirus outbreak has been declared will arrive in a few hours. EFE 'The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have stated this unequivocally, and I repeat it now,' he assured in a message on X, Tedros, who will travel to the island today to lead, along with regional and national authorities, the sanitary operation for the evacuation of the ship. Tedros mentioned that it is not usual for him, in his position, 'to write directly to the people of a single community, but today I feel it is not only appropriate, but necessary,' and that in these circumstances, press releases or technical reports are insufficient. The communication - he added - must be 'human to human, because you deserve it.' He also acknowledged that it is normal for the population to worry because this outbreak brings to mind - especially when a ship is approaching the coasts of the Spanish island - the COVID-19 pandemic, 'which no one has fully overcome.' 'The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not minimize it for a moment,' said the WHO director, who insisted that the risk of hantavirus for the population of Tenerife 'is low,' after assuring that this is not an assessment made lightly. He also added that there are no passengers with symptoms on board and that health surveillance on the vessel is strict, with specialists from the main European health body, the WHO, and the Dutch government present and carrying out the necessary monitoring. Detailed evacuation plan He emphasized that the Spanish authorities have prepared a careful and detailed plan, according to which passengers will be transferred to land at the industrial port of Granadilla, away from residential areas, in sealed and escorted vehicles. They will pass through a completely cordoned-off corridor and will then be repatriated directly to their countries of origin, while no one from the population will have contact with them, nor will their families. He also clarified that the decision to request this reception from the Spanish government was not an arbitrary one by the WHO, but was based on compliance with the International Health Regulations, which is the mandatory instrument for member states of the organization that defines the rights and obligations of countries and the WHO when responding to public health events of international concern. 'According to those rules, the nearest port with sufficient medical capacity must be identified to ensure the safety and dignity of those on board. Tenerife met that criterion, and Spain honored it,' he concluded. Below is the full statement: To the people of Tenerife, My name is Tedros, and I serve as Director-General of the World Health Organization, responsible for global public health. It is not usual for me to write directly to the people of a single community, but today I feel it is not only appropriate, it is necessary. I want to speak to you directly, not through press releases or technical reports, but human to human, because you deserve it. I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word 'outbreak' and see a ship sailing towards your shores, memories surface that none of us have left behind completely. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not minimize it for a moment. But I need you to listen 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 tell you again now. The virus on board the MV Hondius is the Andes strain of hantavirus. It is serious. Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts are with their families. The risk to you, living your daily lives in Tenerife, is low. This is the WHO's assessment, and we do not make it lightly. At this moment, there are no symptomatic passengers on board. A WHO expert is on that ship. Medical supplies are in place. Spanish authorities have prepared a careful, step-by-step plan: passengers will be transferred to shore at the industrial port of Granadilla, away from residential areas, in sealed and escorted vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their countries of origin. You will not encounter them. Their families will not encounter them. I also want to say something else, something that goes beyond science. I personally thanked Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for Spain's decision to receive this ship. I called it an act of solidarity and moral duty. Because that is what it is. I want you to know that the WHO's request to Spain was not made arbitrarily. It was made in full compliance with the International Health Regulations, the binding legal framework that defines the rights and obligations of countries and the WHO when responding to public health events of international concern. Under those rules, the nearest port with sufficient medical capacity must be identified to ensure the safety and dignity of those on board. Tenerife met that standard. Spain honored it. Nearly 150 people from 23 countries have been at sea for weeks, some of them mourning, all of them scared, all of them longing for home. Tenerife was chosen because it has the medical capacity, the infrastructure, and the humanity to help them reach a safe haven. And because I believe in that so deeply, I will be there myself. I intend to travel to Tenerife to observe this operation firsthand, to stand with the healthcare workers, port staff, and officials who are making it possible, and to personally pay my respects to an island that has responded to a difficult situation with grace, solidarity, and compassion. Your humanity deserves to be witnessed, not just acknowledged from afar. 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. Tenerife is demonstrating that solidarity today. The ship's captain, Jan Dobrogowski, the crew, and the company operating the vessel have shown exemplary cooperation in this challenging time. On behalf of the World Health Organization, and on behalf of those passengers and their families around the world, I thank the people of Tenerife and all others involved. Please, take care of each other. Trust the preparations that have been made. And know that the WHO is with you, and with every person on that ship, every step of the way. With respect, care, and gratitude, Tedros.
