The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, will travel to Tenerife on Saturday to oversee the evacuation of passengers affected by a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, Spanish officials confirmed.

Tedros will join Spain’s health and interior ministers at a command post to coordinate emergency measures, including health checks, surveillance, and response protocols.

Three passengers — a Dutch couple and a German woman — have died, while several others have fallen ill. Tests confirmed the presence of the Andes virus, the only hantavirus strain known to spread between humans, raising international concern.

The Dutch-flagged vessel, carrying about 150 people, is expected to dock in Tenerife on Sunday. Authorities plan to arrange special flights to repatriate passengers.

Despite the fatalities, WHO officials stressed the outbreak poses minimal risk to the wider public. “This is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who’s really infected. The risk to the general population remains absolutely low,” said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier. He noted that even cabin mates of infected individuals have not consistently contracted the virus, underscoring its limited transmissibility.

As of Friday, six confirmed cases have been reported out of eight suspected, with no new suspected cases on board.

Meanwhile, a KLM flight attendant who showed mild symptoms after contact with an infected passenger tested negative. Spanish authorities are monitoring two other women linked to the same flight, one of whom is hospitalized in isolation.

Two Singaporean passengers tested negative but remain in quarantine as a precaution, officials said.