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Possible swine flu on Alaska cruise ship
The numbers of cruise ship bookings to Alaska are down this year, and with a possible case of swine flu detected on board one ship in Alaska waters, I'm worried they could very well go down even more. The Associated Press reports today that "a female crew member of the Serenade of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, became ill May 2 while sailing from San Francisco northward." Swine flu was suspected, and the Washington State Public Health Laboratory forwarded tests to the CDC, which is validating the results. Meanwhile, state officials in Alaska conducted its own tests in Ketchikan when the ship docked there. The results were negative, though officials note that the patient had been taking Tamiflu and hadn't run a fever for several days, so the negative results were not surprising.
If this case turns out to be positive for swine flu, it will be the first reported case in Alaska.
UPDATE: Alaska health officials say tests confirmed that swine flu sickened the crew member, but she has since recovered after a course of treatment and a CDC-recommended 7-day period of isolation. However, Alaska health officials argue that the case can't be considered Alaska's "first case" of swine flu for several reasons, one being that the woman became ill before entering state waters.
Gallery: More horrible travel accidents from around the globe
[Via Anchorage Daily News]
Filed under: North America, United States, News, Travel Health, Cruises
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Montana May 13th 2009 2:57PM
Ya'll hurry up and see if you can find a way to blame this on Obama.
kat May 13th 2009 5:36PM
it's y'all - short for you all. The apostrophe takes the place of missing letters in the first word.
jim May 13th 2009 4:17PM
I don't think Obama should be blamed for anything. First you have to do something.He's one man and can't do anything without approval from the D-house or the D-Congress .The Republicians are not ask for approval. Thank you very much
Annee May 13th 2009 7:20PM
Too late, they already blamed it on Bush.
Mark May 13th 2009 7:35PM
Why hasn't our Mr. Obama shut the borders down to protect our country? Because of hidden agendas. Treat other countries the way we are treated!MP
mickey May 13th 2009 11:49PM
If two letters are missing from you all then it should be y''all. You could do yo'all or y'uall - I prefer yall, like "yall gotta lotta time on yall's hands.
Sig May 14th 2009 12:47AM
... unless of course he is using ya and all as the two words, in which case, the apostrophe is in the correct place, replacing the letter a.
Michael May 13th 2009 3:48PM
What goes around comes around Ya'll!
marsha May 14th 2009 2:08AM
LMAO! gotta hand it to ya, that's a good one! :0)
Dave May 13th 2009 4:02PM
Get over it people, it is just a strong cold and the press just loves to profit from the drama of it, why schools have not been closed on sprouts of meningitis before or other far more dangerous infections?
dxxy4u May 13th 2009 4:03PM
An ailment is like a Fad, now EVERY fever is Swine Flu. What a crock.
tess May 13th 2009 4:12PM
Cruise ships = floating petri dishes. Why people go on them, I will never get.
PRINCESSCRUISERS May 13th 2009 4:18PM
That is the most ignorant thing I have ever heard. You can catch a virus from any number of places. You use the same common sense on a cruiseship that you would boarding a plane or any other method of travel.
barbara May 13th 2009 6:09PM
Wow, how ignorant. Have you ever been on a cruise ship? They are as large as some cities, and they are cleaned constantly. I have taken many cruises and did not get ill.
Albert J Reine May 13th 2009 4:10PM
It was goin to happend, and the Mexican Swine Flu will continue to grow; WDC & CDS with HLS Czar Janet did not do their job; HLS Janet was a do nothing Governor or Arizona, and Illegals have caused many problems for the state of Arizona, CRIME is Up, Drugs, Welfare, Illegals, Cartel, and deaths making Arizona now the second worst place on earth for Drug RELATED Killings and Randsom on earth. NAFTA is more important to Obama and Czar Janet ! The Mexican Swine Flu is now a growing Virus; Viruses do not Discrimate !
Gracie B May 13th 2009 4:14PM
If I were a bad guy...this would be my test run, for NEXT year. I wouldn't need to enter the USA. I could hit all the spring-break hang outs. These kids will drink anything put in front of them, kiss who-ever they meet. (We were young, too..) They could infect the entire country in 2 weeks, maybe the World. Maybe it wouldn't be this flu...it could be worse....oh, and wouldn't THAT be a good time to sabotage our grids ?
spike May 13th 2009 4:46PM
Oh my goodness.Someone sneezed.Call the surgeon General
mickey May 13th 2009 11:53PM
I don't think we have a surgeon general yet. Call Dr. Phil.
FLLady May 13th 2009 5:18PM
It's a flu. This means take precautions. Who would take a cruise now?? Anyone of us could be infected by anything but going on a crowded boat for days with people from all over the world just seems to be asking for it. This goes for those visiting Disney or something like that. But it really doesn't matter as we let millions in & out of our borders daily. Achoo!
David May 13th 2009 4:57PM
Seasonal flu kills 35 thousand Americans on average every single year. If it dominated the news like this one, nobody would ever come out of their house.