Experts deem the landing operation “extremely cautious” amid media and political pressure

Epidemiologists from the External Health Service evaluated the disembarkation of the cruise ship MV Hondius at Granadilla port (Tenerife). They say the operation is being managed with an extremely high level of precaution, likely influenced by media and political pressure surrounding the case. According to the experts, the same safety could have been guaranteed with a simpler operation, but it has been “over‑complicated” because of the difficulty of controlling the information flow.

In statements to SMC collected by Europa Press, they defend that the operation “guarantees safety for everyone.” Even if a few additional cases closely linked to the known infections appear—either from exposure on the cruise or on a flight with symptomatic passengers—“no infections resulting from the operation or the isolations are expected.”

High Precaution, Low Risk

Epidemiologist Salvador Peiró, from the Research Area in Health Services and Pharmaco‑epidemiology at the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community (FISABIO), told SMC that the arrival of the cruise with potential hantavirus contacts—currently all asymptomatic—is being handled with an extremely high level of caution.

“Given how the operation has been organized (specific disembarkation protocols, isolation, contact tracing, and repatriation), the risk to the general population of Tenerife—or any other location—can be considered practically nonexistent.”

He adds that in the coming days a new case could still emerge among people closely linked to the known cases, either from exposure on the cruise or on a flight with symptomatic passengers, but “no infections resulting from the operation carried out in the Canary Islands or from the isolations are expected.”

“Over‑Complicated”

Mar Faraco, former president and current secretary of the Association of Doctors of External Health (AMSE) and head of the External Health Service in Huelva, reiterated to SMC that the protocol and the measures it describes guarantee safety for everyone.

“In some aspects it is over‑complicated, very likely because of the media impact the outbreak has at local, national, and international levels. I understand these decisions—let’s call them ‘exaggerated’—given the difficulty of controlling the informational situation. Without being the focus of worldwide media attention (and the pressure that entails), safety could have been guaranteed with less complexity.”

She notes that disembarking while the ship is anchored is far more complex for all parties involved and that the operation could have been safely performed with the vessel docked. In her view, factors unrelated to public‑health protection have heavily influenced the decision, both regarding the disembarkation and the strict quarantine of asymptomatic individuals in a reference hospital.

Reinforced Protocols, Not New Ones

Pedro Ignacio Arcos González, specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health, professor of Epidemiology and director of the Emergency and Disaster Research Unit at the University of Oviedo, and associate researcher at the University of Oxford (UK), told SMC that the protocols are essentially a “reinforced” version of the established guidelines found in the literature for managing such situations.

“There is nothing new in them and they are correct, except for the enormous level of safety isolation introduced, which in this case may have been influenced by media and political pressure on the case management.”

High‑Level Measures Justified, Even If Inconvenient

José Miguel Cisneros Herreros, head of the Infectious Diseases Service at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville, argues that the high‑level measures outlined in the protocol are justified to achieve prevention and control of the outbreak, even though they are inconvenient for the quarantined passengers.

Historical Perspective on Maritime Outbreaks

Consuelo Giménez Pardo, full professor at the University of Alcalá and member of the Knowledge and Research Management Board of Médecins du Monde, explained to SMC that maritime voyages have always posed a risk of infectious‑disease transmission because they involve individuals confined in small spaces with close contact, historically requiring quarantine in lazarettos before entering safe ports.

She observes that the alarm surrounding this cruise has been maximal, with an information surge not seen since COVID‑19, indicating that fear remains. She warns that human movement of people, animals, and goods, along with the increasing invasion of natural ecosystems, heightens the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. Moreover, our rapid global mobility can outpace the incubation period of many infectious diseases.

“The lethality of this virus is low, but similar events will undoubtedly occur with other pathogens. We must be prepared by investing in epidemiological surveillance and by applying and regularly updating existing protocols for emergency situations.”

She concludes with a call for coordinated action:

“We need constructive collaboration among politicians, scientists, NGOs, and civil society. This ‘war’ against infectious diseases is long and hard, with only small victories in some battles, but it will keep us on guard. Our survival as a species depends on it.”