The ship infected with “Hanta” arrives in Spain to evacuate its passengers

The MV Hondos cruise ship, where the Hanta virus outbreak was detected, arrived at dawn on Sunday morning on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, before more than 100 passengers and crew members were evacuated, according to an Agence France-Presse correspondent.

So far, the World Health Organization has recorded six confirmed cases of Hantavirus infection out of eight suspected cases, including three deaths from this known and rare virus, for which there is no vaccine or treatment.

This disease can cause acute respiratory syndrome, but the World Health Organization has confirmed that it is “not like Covid-19,” which caused a pandemic that is still fresh in the minds of the world.

MV Hondos entered the small port of Granadilla de Abona in the south of the island of Tenerife in the Atlantic Ocean, at approximately seven in the morning (five in the morning GMT). Part of the crew will remain on board the ship, which will continue its journey to the Netherlands.

From this industrial port, Spanish Health Minister Monica García Gomez announced on Saturday that “all arrangements are in place for the ship’s arrival, with all necessary public health guarantees in place.” She added that the test result of a patient who was transferred to the hospital in Alicante was negative for the Hanta virus.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the ship, evacuation operations are scheduled to begin shortly after the ship’s arrival, at approximately eight in the morning (seven in the morning GMT).

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed during a press conference held on Saturday evening at the port, where he will supervise operations, that “Spain is ready and prepared.”