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🇰🇷 South Korea /Health & Science

Canary Islands Authorities Protest Cruise Ship's Arrival Amid Hantavirus Outbreak

From Hankyoreh · (5m ago) Korean Critical tone

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A cruise ship, the MV Honorius, carrying passengers with a hantavirus outbreak is heading to Spain's Canary Islands after departing Cape Verde.
  • Spanish authorities are protesting the decision to allow the ship's arrival due to insufficient information sharing and consultation.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated the public health risk is low, differentiating it from the COVID-19 pandemic, while confirming the virus strain as Andes virus.

The arrival of the cruise ship MV Honorius, currently experiencing a hantavirus outbreak, at Spain's Canary Islands has sparked significant controversy and protests from regional authorities. While the World Health Organization (WHO) attempts to downplay public health concerns, emphasizing the virus's distinct transmission patterns compared to COVID-19, the Canary Islands' government is vehemently opposing the ship's docking.

We cannot allow the Canary Islands to be a port of entry. This decision was not based on our criteria and we did not receive sufficient information.

— Fernando ClavijoThe President of the Canary Islands government expressing strong opposition to the ship's arrival.

Fernando Clavijo, the head of the Canary Islands' autonomous government, has publicly stated that the decision to allow the ship's entry was made without adequate information or consultation, directly challenging the Spanish central government's decision. This stance reflects a deep-seated concern among local residents, who recall the stringent isolation measures imposed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The memory of over 700 tourists being quarantined in Tenerife is still fresh, fueling anxieties about potential community spread.

This virus has been identified as Andes virus, a type of hantavirus found in South America.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusWHO Director-General confirming the specific strain of hantavirus identified on the ship.

The WHO, through its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the epidemic response unit, has identified the virus as Andes virus, a strain found in South America. They stress that human-to-human transmission requires very close physical contact, such as sharing a cabin or providing medical care, distinguishing it significantly from respiratory viruses like COVID-19 or influenza. Despite these reassurances, the Canary Islands' government is demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, underscoring the tension between national health directives and regional autonomy and public safety concerns.

Close contact means very close physical contact, like sharing a cabin or providing medical care. That is very different from COVID-19 or influenza.

— Maria Van KerkhoveWHO official explaining the limited transmission risk of hantavirus compared to other viruses.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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