EU coordinates response to hantavirus outbreak--China Econom

BRUSSELS, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission said Monday that it is coordinating and supporting national authorities' response to a hantavirus outbreak, while the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assesses the risk to the general population in Europe as very low.

Since Spain activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on May 6, the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre has been facilitating the safe evacuation of people aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which was anchored off Tenerife.

Five repatriation flights coordinated by the EU took place on Sunday and were carried out by France, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland. A sixth and final flight, operated by the Netherlands, departed on Monday, according to the Commission.

The EU is also mobilizing response capabilities and stockpiles from its strategic reserve. A medical evacuation aircraft from the EU fleet, hosted by Norway, has been pre-positioned in Tenerife, while additional transport and logistics capacities, as well as protective equipment, are ready to be deployed if needed.

The Emergency Response Coordination Centre has deployed a liaison officer to Tenerife to support on-site coordination with relevant authorities. The ECDC also deployed two experts from the EU Health Task Force to the ship before passengers disembarked.

According to the Commission, the EU is working closely with EU members, countries participating in the Civil Protection Mechanism, the ECDC, the World Health Organization and G7 partners in responding to the outbreak.

Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said health threats can easily cross borders and coordination is therefore essential.