EU Races to Contain Hantavirus Outbreak

(MENAFN) The European Commission announced Monday it is actively coordinating with national authorities to contain a hantavirus outbreak, even as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assessed the risk to the broader European public as very low.

The response machinery was set in motion after Spain triggered the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on May 6, prompting the bloc's Emergency Response Coordination Centre to begin overseeing the safe evacuation of passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which had been anchored off Tenerife.

Five repatriation flights, coordinated by the EU and operated by France, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, and Ireland, were completed on Sunday. A sixth and final flight, operated by the Netherlands, departed Monday, the Commission confirmed.

Beyond evacuations, the EU is drawing on its strategic reserve, mobilizing response capabilities and critical stockpiles. A medical evacuation aircraft from the EU fleet — hosted by Norway — has been pre-positioned in Tenerife, with additional transport, logistics capacity, and protective equipment on standby for rapid deployment should conditions deteriorate.

On the ground, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre has posted a liaison officer to Tenerife to underpin real-time coordination with local and national authorities. The ECDC also dispatched two specialists from the EU Health Task Force to the vessel ahead of passenger disembarkation.

The Commission said the EU is working in close concert with member states, countries participating in the Civil Protection Mechanism, the ECDC, the World Health Organization, and G7 partners to contain the outbreak.

Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib stressed that health threats can easily cross borders and coordination is therefore essential.

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