WHO Director-General follow-up message to the people of Tenerife: 'Our work in Tenerife is done'; thanks Spain for 'quiet precision' of the response

World Health Organization official statement (Geneva, 14 May 2026): WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus published a follow-up message to the people of Tenerife marking the conclusion of the WHO's on-the-ground role in the cruise-ship response. Tedros: 'Our work in Tenerife is done. And it was done with great success.' He thanked Spanish public-health officials, the Spanish government, and the residents of the Canary Islands for what he described as 'quiet precision' in coordinating the evacuation. 'More than 120 people from 23 countries have safely disembarked and are now being cared for and monitored by public health systems in their home countries.' Tedros also acknowledged the WHO Regional Office for Europe team in Copenhagen and headquarters colleagues who supported the response. The statement closes the WHO's emergency-deployment phase; surveillance and case-by-case monitoring continue through national authorities.

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WHO

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hantavirus