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Probable case of swine flu on cruise ship

by Leyla Santiago
Sunday, May 10, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- State health officials say a woman on a cruise ship tested positive for the H1N1 swine flu virus, and that ship is now in Alaska waters.

The Royal Carribbean ship Serenade of the Seas was en route to Sitka on Sunday, traveling in the Icy Strait on a 14-night cruise from the Caribbean to Canada.

"(Saturday) we received reports of a probable case of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, also called swine flu," said Dr. Jay Butler, the state's chief medical officer.

Health officials say the woman, a member of the ship's crew, started feeling ill about a week ago. Doctors tested her at a stop in Washington state.

"It reinforces the observations that this virus causes illness similar to that caused by seasonal influenza, but is also transmissible like seasonal influenza," Butler said.

Upon arrival in Ketchikan, health officials tested the patient again.

"That was processed from the state lab (Saturday) and was actually negative, but that's not a big surprise because she was already recovering," Butler said.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement that two crew members experienced flu-like symptoms about a week ago.

"Both crew members were immediately isolated on May 1 and 4, respectively. This is standard procedure regarding any suspected flu illnesses," the cruise line said.

"Measures have been taken to prevent spread of influenza on ships," Butler said, adding that this is not considered Alaska's first case of swine flu.

"For at least three reasons: One was this person became ill before the ship was in Alaska waters, it's not occurring in an Alaska resident, and the testing was performed outside of Alaska also," Butler said.

But he warns this isn't just going away.

"What we don't know, will it kind of calm down as we get into summer months? We certainly don't see normally a lot of influenza in the northern hemisphere during the summertime," Butler said.

State officials said they are still waiting for confirmation on test results from the Centers for Disease Control. They expect those sometime Monday.

Sitka city officials say they have not yet received any type of notification from the state or the cruise line about the case.

When asked why the crew member was not taken off the ship, Royal Caribbean said there was no reason to because she was isolated and given Tamiflu.

Monday is the last day of the ship doctor's recommended isolation for the woman. If she is OK, she could go back to work as soon as Tuesday.

The cruise line says the ship is expected to arrive in Sitka on Tuesday. From there it sails to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

So far, none of the passengers have reported any flu-like symptoms.

Contact Leyla Santiago at lsantiago@ktuu.com