The specialist, a leading epidemiologist in the islands, explained on Televisión Canaria (TVC) that the disease is primarily contracted through direct contact with rodent feces, by inhaling particles from these residues, or by consuming contaminated food.

The expert stressed that the hantavirus transmission mechanism is highly localized and that human-to-human spread is extremely rare. This characteristic is crucial for understanding the actual risk of the situation, as it significantly limits the possibility of the disease spreading beyond environments with infected rodents.

Although the cruise ship's arrival in the Canary Islands raises concerns about the health of those affected and the anxiety of other passengers, the specialist aimed to convey a message of calm to the archipelago's citizens. His statements suggest that, despite the media impact of the news, there is no elevated risk for the general population in the Canary Islands, given the difficulty of human-to-human transmission.