Reacción a "Spain will receive the cruise ship with an outbreak of hantavirus to the Canary Islands, following a request from the WHO and the EU"

The decision by the Ministry of Health to take in the vessel where cases of hantavirus were reported was taken by the national authorities with the support of international agencies, including the WHO and the ECDC, and with the involvement of epidemiology experts.

This is a known virus, transmitted from a species of wild mouse to humans through direct contact with faeces, urine or saliva, or indirectly via contaminated surfaces and food/water. Although the mortality rate is high (35–50%), in severe cases early medical support in an ICU is essential and can save lives.

Spain has the resources and coordination necessary to deal with this situation. Regular health emergency drills are carried out at designated ports; the most recent one took place a few weeks ago in the port of Palma. We also have a network of hospitals with High-Level Isolation and Treatment Units should it be necessary to treat cases.

According to the ECDC, the risk of infection to the general public is very low, as person-to-person transmission is very rare and requires close, direct contact. On the ship, individuals exhibiting symptoms have been isolated. Given the low risk to the general public, the priority is to protect the health of potential contacts. To this end, it is necessary to carry out individualised follow-up of all those who have been on the ship, monitor crew members and passengers for possible symptoms, provide early medical care should symptoms appear, and act by prioritising the safe monitoring and control of cases.

The Spanish Society of Epidemiology considers the Ministry of Health’s decision to be appropriate, given that it was taken in coordination with international bodies and in accordance with the International Health Regulations.

Once again, this highlights the importance of having these mechanisms in place and of strengthening global health security governance.