Ebola Outbreak Delays Mercy Ships Sail to Africa
Collateral hardship from the Ebola epidemic now includes a delay for Mercy Ships, which operates the world’s largest civilian hospital ship in ports on the West Coast of Africa. Already with one canceled deployment to Guinea, where Ebola first broke out last December, the Mercy Ship now waits in the water with crew and staff, pending an end-of-August decision on field service in Benin. The Mercy Ship was due to sail for the port of Cotonou, Benin, for its 10-month field service…
Princess Cruises' Ship Hit by Norovirus Outbreak
The number of passengers reporting ill during 'Dawn Princess' present voyage is 114 out of 1,778 (6.41 percent). According to the U.S. • Is consulting with CDC on plans for their super sanitation procedures in Seward, AK. Two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers boarded the ship on arrival in Juneau, AK to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. Stool specimens will be sent to the CDC lab for confirmatory testing and genome sequencing.
P&I Club Offers Norwalk Virus Survival Tips
Recent outbreaks of Norwalk-like viruses on cruise ships, particularly those visiting North America, have afflicted passengers and crew with symptoms of gastro-intestinal illness. to its members. The Club points out that cruise companies visiting U.S. waters from abroad must notify the Vessel Sanitation Program of the U.S. Center for Disease Control when two per cent of passengers or crew are ill with vomiting or diarrhea. Tour companies operating wholly within the waters of a U.S. state should check with the relevant state authority about any notification or other action required. Although Norwalk is a specific virus, its effects are similar to those of other viruses in the calicivirus family.
