Medics probe cruise flu cases
17mar06
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif]A TEAM of medical investigators will board a cruise ship now off the West Australian coast to investigate reports passengers have contracted a contagious flu.
The WA Health Department team would board the British cruise ship today at Esperance, 731km south-east of Perth, the department's director of Communicable Disease Control Paul Van Buynder said.
"The Department of Health is sending a team of specialists to Esperance to board the cruise ship Funchal following claims that a number of recent passengers have developed a respiratory illness," Dr Van Buynder said.
"The team will remain on board until the ship reaches Perth on Monday to conduct a full investigation."
The department has been tracking the ship for about a month since reports first surfaced that passengers who disembarked in Hobart and Adelaide had influenza A, the ABC reported.
The 500-capacity Funchal has been serving the British cruise market for more than 20 years. It is headed for Perth before returning to the UK next week.[/FONT]
17mar06
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif]A TEAM of medical investigators will board a cruise ship now off the West Australian coast to investigate reports passengers have contracted a contagious flu.
The WA Health Department team would board the British cruise ship today at Esperance, 731km south-east of Perth, the department's director of Communicable Disease Control Paul Van Buynder said.
"The Department of Health is sending a team of specialists to Esperance to board the cruise ship Funchal following claims that a number of recent passengers have developed a respiratory illness," Dr Van Buynder said.
"The team will remain on board until the ship reaches Perth on Monday to conduct a full investigation."
The department has been tracking the ship for about a month since reports first surfaced that passengers who disembarked in Hobart and Adelaide had influenza A, the ABC reported.
The 500-capacity Funchal has been serving the British cruise market for more than 20 years. It is headed for Perth before returning to the UK next week.[/FONT]