Five European Nations Send Aircraft to Retrieve Citizens from Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship on May 9-10

According to Spanish officials, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will send aircraft to retrieve citizens from the Hondius cruise ship experiencing a hantavirus outbreak. Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia stated the vessel is expected to arrive at Tenerife Island in the early hours of May 10. The European Union will dispatch two additional aircraft to evacuate remaining EU nationals, while the U.S. and UK are arranging contingency measures for non-EU citizens.

Evacuation operations must be completed between May 10-11 due to forecasted severe weather in the region. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on May 9 that no new suspected cases have emerged aboard the ship, with the organization assessing the public health risk from hantavirus as “relatively low.”