Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship: WHO says “not another COVID” as evacuations begin in Tenerife
Passengers and crew from the cruise ship MV Hondius began disembarking and leaving Tenerife on Sunday under a coordinated international health operation led by Spanish authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO), following a hantavirus outbreak linked to three deaths, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO), the vessel arrived in the Canary Islands after weeks at sea at the center of a multinational public health response. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reassured the public that the outbreak does not pose a broader global threat.
“This is not another COVID,” Tedros told journalists in Tenerife, adding that the overall risk to the public remains low.
Spanish health teams boarded the ship early Sunday to assess passengers and crew before allowing staged disembarkation based on nationality and travel arrangements. According to WHO officials, passengers from Spain, France, Canada and the Netherlands were among the first groups transferred ashore.
The disembarkment of the first group of MV Hondius passengers has started. @WHO experts on the ground are working with the Spanish Health Ministry on the epidemiological assessment of the passengers and coordinating charter flights with the Interior Ministry. This collaboration… pic.twitter.com/Is0qFRer5k
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 10, 2026
Around 46 passengers and crew members were expected to leave the vessel on Sunday, while approximately 30 crew members are set to remain onboard as the ship returns to the Netherlands accompanied by a medical team.
Despega el avión con los 14 españoles rumbo al Hospital Gómez Ulla.
— Ministerio de Sanidad (@sanidadgob) May 10, 2026
El operativo ha contado con procesos de desinfección y equipos de protección individual en cada fase del traslado.
Sanidad Exterior confirma que todos están asintomáticos. pic.twitter.com/aSYVFss4P6
The organization added that passengers will not travel on commercial flights and instead will use chartered repatriation flights coordinated with national authorities. Officials also confirmed that passengers and crew will undergo health monitoring for up to six weeks because of the virus’s incubation period.
Zojuist is het Nederlandse chartervliegtuig met 26 passagiers en bemanningsleden van de m/v Hondius, onder wie 8 Nederlanders, vanuit Tenerife naar Eindhoven vertrokken.
— Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (@MinBZ) May 10, 2026
Zij reizen onder medische begeleiding en aan boord zijn alle maatregelen getroffen voor een veilige vlucht. pic.twitter.com/cIY9sXds6T
As Qazinform News Agency reported earlier, WHO confirmed eight hantavirus-linked cases connected to the cruise ship, including three deaths.
