Seventeen Americans are among 150 passengers being evacuated from the M/V Hondius cruise ship following an outbreak of a strain of Hantavirus, as the head of the World Health Organization stresses that the virus “is not another COVID-19.”

The vessel is expected to anchor off Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, after which WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will provide further updates.

In a detailed message posted on X on Saturday morning, Ghebreyesus reassured the public that Hantavirus currently poses a low risk to global public health.

“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” Ghebreyesus wrote.

“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” he added.

Ghebreyesus said he would personally travel to Tenerife, the Canary Island where passengers are expected to arrive following their evacuation from the cruise ship..