Five European Countries Dispatch Aircraft to Evacuate Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship Passengers on May 10

According to Spanish officials, on May 9, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will dispatch aircraft to evacuate their citizens from the cruise ship Hondieus, which has experienced a hantavirus outbreak. The ship is expected to arrive at Tenerife, Spain, in the early morning of May 10. The European Union will send two additional aircraft to evacuate passengers from other EU member states, while the U.S. and UK are arranging contingency plans for non-EU nationals. Evacuation operations must be completed between May 10 and 11 due to forecasted severe weather. The World Health Organization stated on May 9 that no new suspected cases have been reported on the ship and assessed the public health risk from hantavirus transmission as “low.”