The cruise ship hit by a rare hantavirus outbreak is about to set sail from Cape Verde on a 1,500-kilometre voyage to the Canary Islands. Spain has cleared the vessel to dock in Tenerife – despite vocal opposition from the island’s regional leadership. When the outbreak first surfaced, the World Health Organization said the public‑health risk was low. Now, DW asks the WHO: does that assessment still hold?
DW also asked Dr. Sofia Galani, Associate Professor of Public International Law at the Panteio University of Athens, to gauge Spain’s involvement and the situation on board the ship.
Note from the editors: In the map shown in the report, the "e" in Cape Verde is missing, resulting in the label "Cap Verde." We apologize for the error.
Chapters:
01:03 Debate in Spain about risks for the population
02:16 What exactly happened on board the ship during the last couple of weeks
04:02 Christian Lindmeier, WHO spokesperson: The hantavirus is not known to spread far, the public health risk is low
06:46 Contact tracing is important now
07:02 Everything is done to protect the passengers on board the MV Hondius
07:54 COVID-19 is still in our memory, people are scared, but a solid health system like the one in Spain can help to treat affected people
09:00 The biggest lesson to be learned here is the need for international co-operation
11:13 Dr. Galani: The WHO rightly requested the co-operation of Spain, but they do not have any jurisdiction to force any port state to allow disembarkation of ill passengers
12:44 It would have been very difficult for Cape Verde to provide special medical treatment; Spain has better capacities
#virus #cruiseship #hantavirus #canaryislands #tenerife #dwcurrentaffairs
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