mexican flu?

[WhiteLine]

Hi,

i hate to be so negative in my first post to the forum, I'm flying to aruba 29th of June..
I've heard about the ship 'ocean dream' that it wants to stop in aruba friday with positive people on board.. anybody can give me more information on how the status is over there?

[lizzardo]

All I can tell you is that in previous occasions when there is a "common flu" going around they usually don't let them off the ship. I would think because this is more serious they would be doing the same thing and also stopping people from departing who even show the signs they are getting it.

Aruba is taking it seriously - so I don't think I would worry about that.
Also on that note to be cautious - don't go into town that day or
take any tours - that way you will not be in contact with any "cruisers"

I do that anyway because town is nicer and the tours are nicer because
it's not so crowded.

[Arubalisa]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8106311.stm

Swine flu cruise ship Aruba-bound

Operators of a Spanish cruise ship hit by an outbreak of swine flu say the vessel is heading to Aruba, where passengers should be able to disembark.
The ship, Ocean Dream, had docked at the Venezuelan island of Margarita, where more than 300 Venezuelans were allowed to leave.

Tour operator Pullmantur denied that the ship had been placed in quarantine by Venezuela, as earlier reported.

Three crew members have been diagnosed with the flu virus.

Eleven more crew members are reported to have symptoms.

Ocean Dream, on a tour of Caribbean islands, had not been allowed to dock in Grenada and Barbados, and had anchored off Margarita.

Pullmantur denied a statement by a local health official that the ship had been placed in quarantine until 24 June.

Some 342 Venezuelan nationals were allowed to leave on Wednesday as Margarita was their final destination.

Pullmantur says Ocean Dream is heading for Aruba where it is expected to arrive late on Thursday.

People would disembark "according to the sanitary rules set out by the island's health authorities", the company said.

Some 200 Spaniards are among the passengers on board.
Last week the World Health Organization declared the virus a global pandemic that has spread to 74 countries. There have been some 30,000 cases diagnosed globally and more than 140 deaths.

[Schnauzerjoy]

According to Amigoe.com, Aruba will be the port for the quarantine, only because they left Curacao before they got the test results. 3 crew members were tested positive for the Flu.
The will confine every on board the ship for a week, so they will not be on Aruba for that period. So they are just here to have a place to anchor while in quarantine.

So in general there seems to be confusion about what will happen or not happen as of now.

Carsten

[WhiteLine]

ho well they will be able to disembark, that sucks, let's see what happends today or tomorrow...

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by WhiteLine

ho well they will be able to disembark, that sucks, let's see what happends today or tomorrow...

NO, they won't be able to disembark.

Mexican cruise ship with flu in quarantine in Aruba
17 Jun, 2009, 14:00 (GMT -04:00)
http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_58251.php
ORANGE CITY - The Ocean Dream cruise ship which was found yesterday that three crew members are infected with the Mexican flu, is to arrive in Aruba Friday in home quarantine. Everyone needs a week aboard. It is now assumed that fifty contamination on board the ship which is currently around 1300 passengers meevaren.

The ship is currently in the Caribbean. The cruise ship has departed last Friday from Aruba. The first stop was Curacao where five crew samples were taken. The boat was already gone when the test results arrived.

The Curaçao delegate Humphrey Davelaar of Health in the media to know that now the other Caribbean islands cruise ship refused to let moor. From Grenada is that this country has not allowed the ship.

The quarantine measure also means that the new cruise Friday that would start with the same route schedule fails.

The flu virus has already reached the Dutch Antilles. An American woman who lives in St. Maarten, the Mexican flu.

On Monday, six Aruban athletes during a volleybalwedstrijd in Trinidad have come into contact with infected Surinamese athletes tested for the virus.

Four of the six athletes were not the virus among the members to have. The result of the two Aruban athletes who have tested yesterday, is still inside. According to Surinamese media were eleven of the sixteen athletes who joined the competition are infected with the Mexican flu. Two children who came into contact with these athletes are also infected. This is the number of infected people in Suriname to thirteen. As a precaution, a crèche is closed.

[WhiteLine]

they said on the news that they will test all the people on board, the people that are positive will have to remain on the ship, others can go off..
wonder if they can be so accurate because maybe if u test 5 mins later it will change the test result but ho well we'll see...

[qlaval]

With Swine flu infected cruise ship on its way to Aruba AHATA has the following recommendations


Since yesterday Aruba’s Health department and other stakeholders on the island have been in continuous meetings to determine how to handle the situation of the cruise ship that has been sailing the Caribbean Seas the last few days without being able to dock at any port due to the fact that several crew members are infected with the swine flu.

The Aruba hotel and Tourism Association AHATA, the umbrella organization for the private hotel sector has forwarded the following advice to the health department. Since the Ocean’s Dream home port is Aruba, AHATA recommends to allow the ship to dock here.

1. Welcome the ship to port with full in ship isolation, on one gets off until there time to depart to there various destinations on Friday. In the meantime supplies can be provided to the ship taking the proper care and precaution.
2. Locals onboard should be privately transported to be tested at the diagnostic Center and be self quarantined for up to 5 days whether symptomatic or not. They should be informed to inform there employer so that adequate time off is granted until it can be assured they are not a carrier.
3. Those that are sick will probably have to remain on the ship in isolation even beyond Saturday’s plane departure or until they are no longer symptomatic. Aruba should be prepared to house the ship in port for 1 week to 10days.
4. Transportation to the airport should be done as a private group with transportation personnel adequately protected.
5. Pullmantur should change the schedule of the plane to depart after hours so that the airport will be empty and the airport and immigration personnel can be adequately protected.
6. It should be best to clear customs on the bus and even to be taken through private facility as this would not risk any contamination in the airport.
7. Arrangements should be made with Pullmantur to take passengers who have booked 20 rooms here back with them in the plain on Friday.
8. It should be made clear that Aruba is accepting the ship with the agreement that the passengers will stay quarantined on board and all efforts for their comfort and safety will be provided and that all precautions have been arranged to get them home safely.

[danadog56]

Wow.....so sad that this flu is so troubling.....you have to feel bad for the folks on that cruise ship that have to be quaranteed.....I would be going stir crazy, especially if I were not sick and not allowed off the boat....

[qlaval]

Passengers may leave Ocean Dream
19 Jun, 2009, 13:17 (GMT -04:00)


Passengers on the Ocean Dream are patiently waiting until they may leave the ship and the harbor, after a final health check-up.


ORANJESTAD — Most of the passengers of the cruise ship Ocean Dream were allowed to leave the ship this morning, except for the three crewmembers that contracted the Mexican influenza. Passengers with influenza symptoms must remain in quarantine aboard the ship for at least seven days. If these passengers actually are infected with the AH1N1-virus, then the ship will be held under arrest for a longer period. The first to leave the ship, were the four Arubans upon explicit request of the authorities.
By our reporters
The other passengers will leave the ship in groups. The four Arubans were brought home under police escort.
It was not known this morning, whether the four Dutch citizens were also allowed to go home.
The cruise ship arrived at Oranjestad last night around 10 o’clock. A massive turnout of the Coastguard was there to escort and protect the ship, including navy vessels, police launches, and the police helicopter in the surroundings. On land, the police presence stood by for possible calamities. The arrival of the ship attracted a great deal of attention. People gathered on the beaches and in the surrounding of the harbor to cast a first glance of the ‘flu-ship’.
A medical team of the Directorate Public Health boarded the ship around eleven o’clock last night to check the health situation on board. Based on their findings, it was decided to moor the ship and allow the passengers to leave the ship in small groups in the morning. Around six-thirty this morning, the ship was moored.
Access roads in the direction of the harbor terrain and the surroundings were closed for traffic early this morning. The police had placed roadblocks at the entrance of the Weststraat and at the end of the Werfstraat. Police officers also closed off the parking lot at Café The Paddock.
Based on the departure time of connecting flights of the passengers, a schedule was drawn up for disembarking passengers.
Around quarter past ten this morning, a group of passengers was seen leaving the ship.
This afternoon, a large group had to catch the flight heading towards Spain. At six-fifty-five, an Air Pullmantur flight leaves for Madrid.


White suits
On the harbor terrain and at the cruise terminal there were people with white virus-protection clothing, mouth caps, and gloves escorting passengers to the terminal. It concerned police co-workers and co-workers of the Directorate Public Health. In addition to the virus-protection clothing, these people had also been given the virus-inhibitor Tamiflu. By the way, this also applied for all involved social workers, says Bibi Arends of Emergency Service. Arends was part of the crisis team. Police officers and co-workers of the coastguard will be working overtime during the next days to protect the ship.


Stranded
Ocean Dream was originally scheduled to leave for a cruise through the Caribbean region today. Minister Wever declared yesterday that in any case the ship must remain in the harbor until Tuesday. Travel agent Maduro expects that the sea voyage, which was scheduled for next week Friday, will go through. The shipping company could not confirm this. Passengers who saw their cruise fall through, may make the cruise at a later stage, says the travel agent. “They may also choose to regain their money.” The costs will be reimbursed for passengers meanwhile arriving on the island for their cruise, which will not go through due to the situation. Juan José Sanchez, spokesperson of Pullmantur, confirmed this, this morning.


Inadequate information
“Everyone on the ship is angry because we have been incorrectly informed.” One of the Aruban passengers, Miriam Tonk, called in this morning around eight-thirty. She was still aboard and did not know when she was allowed to leave the ship. “Early this morning we were told that we could leave the ship. Meanwhile, an hour has gone by, and we still don’t know anything.” As Tonk had regular contact with the authorities, she was a source of information for many aboard the ship.
Shipping company Pullmantur, owner of the ship, declared yesterday that passengers are only informed if there is any news. According to Tonk, this did not occur and several Spanish passengers will file a complaint. Today, Pullmantur responded anew, that it is not in the hands of the shipping company to inform the passengers, but that this is a task of the authorities. According to the minister, it is the responsibility of the captain of the ship to inform the passengers.