World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the global health risk posed by the hantavirus cases detected on a Dutch-flagged vessel is considered low for the general public.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered critical assessments during the agency’s weekly press briefing. Ghebreyesus noted that they are in active consultations with authorities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) regarding a newly emerged Ebola virus outbreak within the northeastern Ituri province, confirming that 13 Ebola infections have been verified so far. Addressing the separate hantavirus developments, Ghebreyesus expressed gratitude to the residents of Tenerife in the Canary Islands for their solidarity with the passengers and operating crew of the Dutch-registered vessel “MV Hondius.” He indicated that the agency cooperated with approximately 30 state governments and external stakeholders to effectively oversee this transit emergency.
VESSEL RETURNING TO THE NETHERLANDS AMID SEPARATE HEALTH CRISIS
The Director-General expressed satisfaction in announcing that the evacuation and transfer operations of the ship’s passengers from Tenerife had concluded successfully. Over 120 individuals are currently receiving professional medical care in their home nations or undergoing mandatory isolation protocols within host countries while traveling to their final destinations. Ghebreyesus reminded reporters that the vessel’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, along with 26 crew members, are continuing their maritime journey aboard the “MV Hondius,” which is anticipated to dock in the Netherlands on May 18. The WHO chief emphasized that the global health organization views the wider public risk stemming from this specific containment incident as minimal, adding that a total of 10 confirmed cases, including 3 fatalities, have been logged by the organization to date.
