The head of the WHO has reacted after the alarm raised over fears of the risk of hantavirus.

In a letter, which has been made public, addressed to the residents of Tenerife, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus assures them that hantavirus is not related to COVID-19.

"I know you're worried. I know that when you hear the word 'explosion' and see a ship sailing towards your shores, memories come flooding back that none of us have fully forgotten. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I don't ignore it for a moment," he added.

The WHO chief stressed that the current public health risk from the virus "remains low."

"This is WHO's assessment and we do not make it lightly," Ghebreyesus added.

 

To the people of Tenerife,

My name is Tedros, and I serve as the Director-General of the @ WHO, The @UN agency responsible for global public health. It is not common for me to write directly to the people of a single community, but today I feel it is not only appropriate, it is… pic.twitter.com/lx05ji4a79

- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 9, 2026