Barbados, Grenada turn away cruise over flu scare

[JoeyandDavid]

- Barbados and Grenada refused this week to allow passengers to leave a Spanish cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd because of fears of an H1N1 flu outbreak, authorities and shipping sources said on Wednesday.

They added the moves were precautionary and that Grenadian and Barbadian authorities had no laboratory confirmation anyone on board was suffering from the H1N1 swine flu strain, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization last week.

Many of the small island states in the eastern Caribbean depend on cruise ship arrivals as an important source of foreign exchange for their vulnerable economies.

On Monday, the Ocean Dream operated by Pullmantur Cruises docked in Grenada, but no one was permitted to leave the ship because of reports several people on board had flu-like symptoms, a spokesman for Grenada's Health Ministry said.

The cruise liner's next destination was Barbados on Tuesday, but the ship was not allowed to berth by Barbadian authorities because of the reports of the flu-like symptoms among its occupants, shipping agents in Bridgetown said.

Ocean Dream, which can carry more than 1,000 passengers, subsequently sailed for Margarita Island on Venezuela's Caribbean coast.

Miami-based Royal Caribbean, which owns Pullmantur, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Grenadian Health Ministry spokesman Keville Frederick told Reuters that while "quite a significant number" of those on board the liner had flu-like symptoms, it was impossible to know if anyone had H1N1 flu without conducting laboratory tests.

"What we did was, keeping with protocol, to err on the side of caution. We decided that the passengers should not be allowed to disembark," Frederick added.

A number of Caribbean states have reported confirmed cases of the H1N1 swine flu.

Royal Caribbean Chief Executive Richard Fain said last week the flu outbreak had "a short, but highly disruptive impact to our operations," although he added vessels were returning to their original itineraries.

The launch of a Pullmantur cruise targeting Mexican nationals, the Pacific Dream, had to be canceled because of the H1N1 outbreak in Mexico, the epicenter of the pandemic. are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

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[deb1220]

Wow! So that could potentially happen to any cruise ship at any port!

[hazelson]

Here we go again!

That is sad.

[DebbieandJerry]

Swine flu in any of these islands could potentially wipe them out. Then again, lack of tourism can also wipe them out.

[coloradocruisers]

Has anybody heard anything more about vaccinations?

[DebbieandJerry]

Only that "they are working on it". Understand, however, that the vaccination that is given "during flu season" is in anticipation of a certain strain of flu that the CDC thinks will be prevalent and not necessarily the strain of flu that actually happens.

[JoeyandDavid]

Has anybody heard anything more about vaccinations?

I believe I heard on the news last evening that the government wants the school districts to get organized to administer clinics come September/beginning of school ..flu vaccination should be ready in time for annual shots this September/October..