Tenerife, Spain – World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will arrive in Tenerife on Saturday, May 9, 2026 to coordinate the evacuation of the MV Hondius cruise ship following a hantavirus outbreak.
Spanish interior ministry sources confirmed the schedule. Okay News reports that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will accompany Spain’s health and interior ministers to a command post to manage surveillance and response protocols.
Three passengers, including a Dutch husband and wife and a German woman, have died from the Andes virus strain. The World Health Organization confirmed six out of eight suspected cases of the disease, which is the only hantavirus strain capable of human-to-human transmission.
The Dutch-flagged vessel carrying approximately 150 people is expected to arrive at the Canary Island of Tenerife on Sunday. United States authorities announced on Friday they are arranging an evacuation flight for American passengers, who will be transported to a quarantine facility in Nebraska.
World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier addressed the outbreak during a press briefing. “This is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who’s really infected, and the risk to the general population remains absolutely low,” Christian Lindmeier said. “The virus is not that contagious that it easily jumps from person to person,” he said.
Spanish authorities confirmed the ship will anchor offshore and will not be permitted to dock. Passengers will be transferred to land on a smaller vessel and moved by bus to the airport for repatriation flights.
Passenger Kasem Ibn Hattuta issued a statement regarding the conditions aboard the vessel. “We finally left Cape Verde which was a relief for everyone on board, specially knowing that our sick colleagues are finally getting the medical care they need,” Kasem Ibn Hattuta said.
The Canarian regional government stated the evacuation must occur between Sunday and Monday due to anticipated adverse weather conditions.
