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Excellencies, Honourable Ministers,
Our Chair, Dr Aspect Maunganidze,
Members of the PBAC, Member States, dear colleagues and friends,
Good morning and welcome once again.
Thank you all for your continuing commitment to the work of WHO through this committee.
Just yesterday I returned from Spain, where I was working with Minister Monica Garcia Gomez and other ministers on the disembarkation and repatriation of passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius.
As Spain is a PBAC member, and as we are honoured to be joined by Ambassador Martinez, I would like to place on record my thanks to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Minister Gomez, and the government of Spain for their outstanding leadership and partnership over the past week. Muchas gracias.
By the way, I learned a word, “vamos vamos” because they needed to complete on time, and they did, and that was the most frequent word they were using: “vamos vamos”.
Not only did Spain fulfil its legal duty under the International Health Regulations, but it also met its moral duty to show kindness and compassion to the passengers and crew on the ship.
If there’s one thing our divided world needs right now, it’s kindness and compassion.
I would also like to thank the people of Tenerife for their support and solidarity throughout this period, and the European Union for its support.
But of course, many other countries have been involved.
I also thank South Africa, which was the first to confirm hantavirus at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, after the first patient was evacuated there.
I thank the United Kingdom for notifying WHO and all countries through the IHR.
I thank Cabo Verde for helping with the evacuation of the three symptomatic patients.
I thank the Netherlands, which has been actively involved through every stage of the outbreak, and has received the evacuees from the ship.
And as Poland is also a PBAC member, I would also like to acknowledge the leadership of the Polish captain of the ship, Captain Jan Dobrogowski.
I have been in regular contact with Captain Jan over the past week, and I would like to thank him and his crew for everything they have done to keep the passengers safe in a very difficult situation.
The ship is now sailing for the Netherlands with the crew, and one of the first messages I received this morning was from Captain Dobrogowski. It said, “Good morning dear Tedros. I am happy to report that so far we don’t have any symptoms onboard.” He has been doing that every morning, by the way.
The passengers have now all been repatriated and will be monitored until the quarantine period ends, on the 21st of June.
But that doesn’t mean the danger is over. In fact, it has entered a new phase as the passengers and crew return home.
WHO’s advice is that they should be monitored actively at a specified quarantine facility or at home for 42 days from the last exposure, which is the 10th of May, meaning the quarantine period will end on the 21st of June.
Anyone who becomes symptomatic should be isolated and treated immediately.
WHO will continue to work closely with experts in all affected countries.
We ask all countries to report regularly to WHO on the health and well-being of passengers and crew through the International Health Regulations.
I would also like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of all of my WHO colleagues, including Freddy Banza, who boarded the ship in Cabo Verde and stayed there until the disembarkation was complete in Tenerife, monitoring the health of the passengers and crew, and ensuring they were kept safe.
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