Top WHO official discusses hantavirus outbreak, recommendations for cruise ship passengers

Maria Van Kerkhove, who leads the WHO's epidemic & pandemic management, details repatriation flights for passengers disembarking from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship docked in Tenerife, Spain.

Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO official, clarifies plans for passengers disembarking from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship in Tenerife, Spain. She explains the careful, step-by-step repatriation process, including medical assessments, dedicated flights and a mandatory 42-day active follow-up period in their home countries. Kerkhove emphasizes this is not COVID-19 and the risk to the general public is low, while expressing hope for continued U.S. participation in WHO's global health efforts.