health
WHO director says he will personally oversee hantavirus cruise evacuation
Updated on: May 9, 2026 / 10:55 AM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will personally oversee the evacuation of over 100 people from a cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak.
- The ship, MV Hondius, is heading to Tenerife, Canary Islands, for the operation.
- Eight confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus and three deaths have been reported on the ship.
- 17 American passengers will be flown to a U.S. quarantine center via a government-provided plane.
- The Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be transmitted between people, has been confirmed.
- Health experts emphasize the low risk of widespread transmission, distinguishing this situation from COVID-19.
- The ship departed Argentina on April 1, with passengers having visited remote South Atlantic islands.
- The outbreak is believed to have started with a Dutch couple who traveled in South America.