Reacción a "The Ministry of Health is awaiting epidemiological data from the cruise ship carrying possible cases of hantavirus in order to decide where it will call"

Wherever this ship ends up – whether in the Canary Islands or another country – what needs to be done is to implement protocols for monitoring cases and potential contacts, and to do whatever can be done. It is a disease that is very unlikely to spread from person to person; there are very few documented cases. Precisely for that reason, we do not know exactly when or how it is transmitted, but it is very likely that it is only when you are symptomatic, and that is difficult. So, common sense tells me that the ideal approach would be to disembark with caution, with isolation, using specially equipped ambulances and protective equipment for those who are ill or suspected of being ill, because they have symptoms – even if it is just a slight cough or a slight fever – but it could be. As for the rest, who are contacts, we need to check whether they have been in close proximity or not, and assess whether any have had very close contact – such as sharing the same cabin or spending a lot of time together – in which case a period of quarantine might also be considered... And if not, for the rest who have had more casual contact and have no symptoms, what needs to be done is for each person to go home using normal transport and monitor for symptoms. If symptoms appear, such as a slight fever, take their temperature in the morning and at night, and if any symptoms appear, they should go to their local hospital or referral centre, say they are linked to this case, and they will be assessed there.

You cannot diagnose whether you are incubating hantavirus two weeks beforehand, because the incubation period is now relatively long—up to six weeks has been reported—so what are we going to do? Do we keep 200 asymptomatic people on a ship or in a hotel? I believe this is more of a communication management issue than a risk management one, and it will be very difficult to explain this so that people understand the risk is minimal and we must send people back to their homes, to their peace of mind, because there is practically no risk. There is no such thing as zero risk in life. This is also something far beyond my decision; it is a public health decision and involves many factors to consider.