June 11, 2009 — Two passengers on a cruise ship that docked Thursday at St. Thomas have tested negative for H1N1 virus, the so-called Swine Flu, the Virgin Islands Government announced.
The honored a request from Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for the Voyager-Class ship Adventure of the Seas to call on St. Thomas Thursday. The ship arrived and is berthed at the West Indian Company dock.
Two passengers on board the ship who exhibited flu-like symptoms earlier this week have tested positive for influenza-A. However, both tested negative for the H1N1 virus, which the World Health Organization Thursday declared a pandemic.
The ship was unable to call in the ports of Antigua and St. Lucia earlier this week.
Acting Health Commissioner Julia Sheen said Thursday the ship was cleared to call on St. Thomas in accordance with U.S. law, following careful coordination between the Centers for Disease Control and the V.I. Department of Health. Additionally, the decision was made after the passengers were screened by the ship’s medical personnel and once the two passengers were confined and treated, as a precautionary measure.
“There has been no evidence that there has been additional spread to other crew members and passengers, according to the ship’s affidavit,” Sheen said.
Precautionary health screenings will continue for both passengers and crew in keeping with U.S. protocol.
Department of Health officials were notified of the two passengers displaying flu-like symptoms by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention branch in Puerto Rico. Dr. Richard Olans, an infectious disease specialist with the department, added that although no specific cases of H1N1 (Novel Swine Influenza) have been confirmed or identified in the Virgin Islands, the CDC has confirmed the diagnosis of more than 13,000 cases nationwide. The total includes cases from many states along the east coast, including New York, where Virgin Islanders frequently travel.
Department of Health officials continue to monitor any potential spread of influenza, Olans said.
“It is highly likely we will have cases in the territory, even without documented travel to at-risk areas because that is the way that epidemics/pandemics classically act.”
“The public should know that we are working closely with the CDC, as are all other officials at U.S. ports, to ensure that no one is placed at risk,” Sheen said. “As the H1N1 virus can make its way here via any entry port, we continue to urge residents to guard against spreading influenza through hand washing and to cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.”
Adventure of the Seas cruise ship will call on St. Maarten on Friday and St. Croix on Saturday.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization raised the swine flu alert to its highest level, saying H1N1 has spread to enough countries to be considered a global pandemic, according to the Cable News Network.
Increasing the alert to Level 6 does not mean that the disease is deadlier or more dangerous than before, just that it has spread to more countries, the WHO said.
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