WHO chief says “work not over” after evacuation of hantavirus-stricken cruise ship

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that “our work is not over” in containing hantavirus Evacuate from cruise ship Suffering from an outbreak of a deadly disease.

The fate of the MV Hondius sparked international panic after three passengers died from an outbreak of the rare virus for which there is no vaccine or effective treatment.

Health officials, however, stressed that the global public health risk is low and rejected comparisons with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There is no indication that we are seeing a larger outbreak,” Tedros told a joint news conference in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

“But the situation may of course change and given the long incubation period of the virus, we may see more cases in the coming weeks,” Tedros said.

More than 120 passengers and crew on board the MV Hondius sailed from Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday and Monday, with countries imposing different health measures on evacuees returning home.

Most countries are following World Health Organization guidelines, which include 42 days of quarantine and ongoing monitoring of high-risk contacts.

“I hope they (countries) follow the advice and recommendations we put forward,” Tedros said in Madrid.

There were eighteen American passengers on board Return to the United States Monday and was being monitored at medical facilities in Nebraska and Georgia.

Jay Bhattacharya, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Say it doesn’t make sense Sounding a “level five alarm” as the risk to the public from hantavirus is “much lower” than what we have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is very different from COVID-19 and we should treat it differently,” Bhattacharya told “CBS Nightly News” anchor Tony Dokupil on Monday when asked about the lack of daily briefings on the outbreak.

The MV Hondius poses a diplomatic challenge as different countries negotiate over who will take delivery of the ship and host its passengers.

Cape Verde, an archipelago off Africa’s west coast, refused to accept the ship, which remains anchored off the capital Praia, and the three were evacuated by flight to Europe last week.

Spain allowed the ship to anchor near the Canary Islands on Sunday and Monday to evacuate passengers and crew, but Cape Verde’s regional government strongly opposed the move.

Sanchez defended the government’s policies, saying, “The world does not need more selfishness or more fear. What it needs is countries that show unity and are willing to move forward.”