- Flu ship passengers urged to quarantine themselves
May 25, 2009
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Passengers tested positive: The Pacific Dawn docking at Circular Quay earlier this year (Getty Images: Mike Flokis, file photo)
Video: New measures introduced as swine flu spreads (Lateline) Audio: Swine flu on the increase (AM) Map: Sydney 2000
Related Story: Flu cases hit 23 Related Story: Mexico to erect statue to swine flu 'patient zero' More than 2,000 passengers from the cruise ship Pacific Dawn have been asked to quarantine themselves for a week, as fears of a swine flu epidemic mount.
The latest confirmed cases are two five-year-old children, who arrived in Sydney onboard the passenger ship yesterday, and a nine-year-old Sydney boy who returned home at the weekend after a US holiday.
The national total now stands at 23, with 13 of the cases in Victoria.
Scientists say that while the strain does not appear to be deadly, more people could be at risk because they have no immunity.
It was a long wait for passengers looking forward to starting their cruise onboard the Pacific Dawn yesterday.
When the ship arrived in Sydney from its previous voyage to the South Pacific yesterday morning a number of passengers showed flu-like symptoms.
When tests found the children had swine flu, the ship could not leave for its next destination, the Whitsunday Islands, until health authorities gave it the go-ahead.
The ship eventually left but many passengers, inconvenienced by the wait, say they would rather be safe than sorry.
"We'd be complaining if we all got sick and the recycling air conditioning doesn't help flu and all the rest of it," one passenger said.
"We've actually stocked up on Tamiflu, so I'm not too concerned," another said.
One-hundred-and-thirty passengers who arrived in Sydney yesterday have been contacted and many will be tested for swine flu.
Queensland Health has tested 13 people from the ship who were displaying flu-like symptoms when they returned to the Gold Coast yesterday.
A child and an adult were kept in isolation in hospital overnight, while the others were sent home to remain in quarantine for a week.
But New South Wales chief health officer Kerry Chant wants all 2,000 passengers who were on the South Pacific cruise to quarantine themselves.
"We are all requesting that all people onboard this ship remain in quarantine for seven days," he said.
"This is in order to prevent transmission to the community of the human swine influenza."
Sandy Olsen from Carnival Australia, owners of the Pacific Dawn, says the ship sailed last night after receiving the all-clear from New South Wales health officials.
"I think it's important to note here that we have very well-trained doctors and very well-equipped medical centres on board our ships," she said.
"In some cases we're better equipped to deal with the spread of contagious disease, better than perhaps many other holiday destinations are.
"That's why we can and we do move very swiftly to deal with any illness on board and that's what we did in this circumstance."
The chairman of the influenza specialist group, virologist Allan Hampson, says some cases cannot be immediately traced to any known contact.
"In other words, we don't know that they've been in contact with somebody who's come in recently from overseas or been exposed to one of the family contacts of those people," he said.
"That means the virus is in the community at this stage."
Allan Hampson says it is not the time be alarmed as so far the cases in Australia have had mild symptoms.
But he does say it is likely the virus could spread rapidly through the community, especially with winter approaching.
"The whole issue with this influenza virus is it's certainly a new virus so there'll be very little immunity, if any, in the population, which means that it will probably spread more widely than we normally expect with influenza," he said.
(By Michael Edwards)
More Cruise News in the minute;
Carnival Fantasy cruise ship had an 18yo passenger went overboard last night, search continues.
I am an avid cruiser. I love everything from the History of Ocean Liners to the construction of the modern Cruise Ships we see today. My Humble question continues, "Is it really possible for someone to inadvertantly fall from a Cruise Ship?
Devils Advocate- First and foremost, lets all send prayers to the family in hopes their son is found and in good spirits.
On the otherhand;
I find it really tough to beleive it is possible for anyone to fall off of a cruise ship. Without knowing much about physics, a person would have to be mighty tall AND very very top heavy to topple over a rail specifically designed at a safe height.
This is what some of your kids are doing on cruise ships while you're out partying. This was from the last cruise I was on! Do you think these parents should be banned from cruising? If one of these kids 'fell', is the CL responsible?
