Navy reports 21 swine flu cases on USS Iwo Jima

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Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iS_wKfnijG33w5KQ2JSHVLwST-ywD98NANB02

Navy reports 21 swine flu cases on USS Iwo Jima

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) ? The Navy is reporting 21 cases of swine flu on board the USS Iwo Jima.

Navy spokesman Cmd. Cappy Surette says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case on May 27. The amphibious assault ship left New York on May 26 after participating in Fleet Week.

Surette says the cases were mild. All 21 sailors and Marines were treated in New York and have since returned to duty.

Several other people have been isolated in the ship's medical ward after developing flu-like symptoms.

The Iwo Jima is scheduled to return to Norfolk later this week.

Surette says the Navy has had 147 confirmed cases of H1N1, and 137 of those people have returned to work.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Navy reports 21 swine flu cases on USS Iwo Jima

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/local-navy-swine-flu-cases-rise-49-ship-returns-home

Local Navy swine flu cases rise to 49 as ship returns home



By Kate Wiltrout
The Virginian-Pilot
? June 12, 2009

NORFOLK

A tightly-packed amphibious assault ship, with 2,500 sailors and Marines and little private space, is a dream cruise for a communicable disease.

That?s why a recent swine flu outbreak on the Iwo Jima kept the ship?s medical officers busy. ?We?re doing an awful lot of cleaning,? Capt. Jeff Amick, the commanding officer, said Friday after the ship tied up at Norfolk Naval Station?s Pier 9.

Amick said Friday that 49 sailors or Marines aboard the ship had confirmed cases of swine flu, or H1N1. The first suspected case showed up on May 27, the day they left New York City after the festivities of Fleet Week.

The ship left Norfolk on May 17.

About 20 to 25 sailors at a time were berthed in the infirmary with flu-like symptoms, including fever, aches and coughing.

There was no specific pattern among those who fell ill, he said. Sailors from various departments across the ship were affected.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew kept busy cleaning ? especially the handrails, where bacteria breed, Amick said ? while personnel in the mess decks and wardrooms took extra precautions.

Amick said the ship switched to having all food served by culinary specialists, instead of having sailors serve themselves. Culinary workers who showed flu symptoms were quarantined for an additional three days after symptoms passed, he said. Other crews returned to work 24 hours after their symptoms cleared.

The Iwo Jima was prepared for the contingency, Amick said. A plan was in place for such an outbreak, and the ship was able to complete all its missions.

In addition to picking up and dropping off Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., the ship practiced air operations and offloaded munitions in Earle, N.J. That?s on top of the pomp and circumstance of Fleet Week in New York City.

Sixteen patients remain in the infirmary, he said, waiting for their symptoms to clear.