Alaska - suspected SF case off Alaska coast

[AlaskaDenise]

(techinically this isn't IN Alaska, just in the waters off the coast - the person contracted it in WA state)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska awaits verification of swine flu finding
By MARY PEMBERTON

Associated Press Writer

State health officials had expected to get verification Monday that a crew member aboard a cruise ship in Alaska waters contracted swine flu, but officials may have to wait a bit longer.

Ann Potempa, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Social Services, said it looks increasingly unlikely the verification would come Monday.

The testing was done at the Washington State Public Health Laboratory and was being verified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Dr. Jay Butler, Alaska's chief medical officer, announced Sunday that the crew member aboard the Serenade of the Seas had a probable case of swine flu but testing was being conducted by the federal health agency for confirmation. No other people aboard the ship reported flu-like symptoms since the woman became ill on May 2. She was placed in isolation two days later.

The female crew member underwent a course of treatment with Tamiflu, an anti-viral medication that is effective against swine flu. She has not had flu symptoms or been running a fever for several days.

Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean International, said the female crew member completed a CDC-recommended 7-day period of isolation, but she did not know if the crew member had been cleared to rejoin the crew. She said the woman will have to meet with the ship's doctor and be cleared to go back to work.

The Serenade of the Seas is on a 14-day cruise to southeast Alaska and Canada. Its next port-of-call is in Sitka on Tuesday. It departed San Francisco and headed north on May 2, the same day the female crew member began feeling sick.

Butler has said there is no reason to restrict the movement of passengers aboard the ship, as long as they are not reporting flu-like symptoms.

Before embarking on the Alaska cruise, the Serenade of the Seas departed San Juan, Puerto Rico for a 14-night Panama Canal voyage in which the ship visited Mexico, the country hit hardest by swine flu. Scientists now say that the new strain of swine flu could have sickened 23,000 people in Mexico before anyone realized it was an epidemic on April 23.

Butler said the ship's medical staff followed strict isolation procedures to prevent the spread of the illness.

At least 61 people have been killed by swine flu around the world, and the World Health Organization has confirmed 4,800 cases.

Butler said the case aboard the ship can't be considered Alaska's first case for several reasons, including that the testing was done outside Alaska and the crew member is not an Alaskan.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009208315_apakswineflualaska2ndldwritethru.html

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Alaska - suspected SF case off Alaska coast

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.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10335834&nav=menu510_2