Riverboat passengers to be treated for flu-like symptoms

[MHSC]

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Riverboat passengers to be treated for flu-like symptoms


Associated Press

<!-- begin body-content --> HENDERSON, Ky. - A western Kentucky hospital has been alerted that passengers on the Mississippi Queen riverboat have been experiencing flu-like symptoms, officials said Friday.
The riverboat was on schedule to arrive Friday night in Henderson. It left Cincinnati on Wednesday and was scheduled to arrive in St. Louis on Tuesday.
Federal Drug Administration rules require the cruise company to notify health officials if two percent to three percent of passengers have exhibited signs of an illness, said April Matson, a spokeswoman for Majestic America Line, in a telephone interview from Seattle. She said 20 people out of the 525 passengers on board have shown signs of the flu.
Matson said passengers and staff have been told to use standard hand-washing procedures. "We're being ultra-vigilant to stop the spread of the flu," she said.
"Some of the people who were experiencing symptoms said they felt better in the last 24 hours," Matson said. "We're hopeful we've pretty much got it under wraps."
Pam Moran, spokeswoman for Methodist Hospital in Henderson, said the staff had been informed that the riverboat was docking soon but could not provide any other details.



http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/local/15810975.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Riverboat passengers to be treated for flu-like symptoms

Noro????

It often clears in about 24 hours.

.

 

[Pat18970]

Re: Riverboat passengers to be treated for flu-like symptoms

HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) -- Twenty passengers on a boat cruise on the
Ohio River have shown flu-like symptoms, and officials have alerted
a hospital in this riverside town, officials said Friday.
The Mississippi Queen was scheduled to arrive Friday night in
Henderson, about 100 miles west of Louisville. A spokeswoman at
Methodist Hospital said the facility had been alerted, but she
could not provide details.
The cruise officials were required under federal Food and Drug
Administration rules to notify health officials if 2 to 3 percent
of passengers exhibited signs of an illness, said April Matson, a
spokeswoman for Majestic America Line, in a telephone interview.
In the meantime, the staff and the 525 passengers have been told
to wash their hands to help prevent the spread of the illness, she
said.
The riverboat left Cincinnati on Wednesday and was scheduled to
arrive in St. Louis on Tuesday.
The company is a subsidiary of Ambassadors International Inc., a
cruise, marine, and travel and event company based in Newport
Beach, Calif. Majestic America Line owns six cruise ships that ply
U.S. coastal and inland waters, and rivers.
The boats travel the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland
and Arkansas rivers in the Midwest and South, and the Columbia,
Snake and Willamette rivers in the Northwest. The company also
operates cruises of Alaska's Inside Passage.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV-10-20-06 1950PDT

 

[Niko]

Re: Riverboat passengers to be treated for flu-like symptoms

Mississippi Queen Passengers Come Down With Flu-Like Symptoms
LAST UPDATE: 10/20/2006 10:41:39 PM

Nearly two dozen passengers on a riverboat that left Cincinnati Wednesday have come down with flu-like symptoms.

Medical personnel met the Mississippi Queen Friday night at its scheduled stop in Henderson, Kentucky.

Cruise line spokeswoman April Matson tells Local 12 about 20 passengers have shown signs of the flu.

However, Evansville news outlets are reporting that number could be as high as 50.

525 passengers were onboard.

We're told school buses were brought in to take sick passengers to a nearby hospital.

Matson says boat staff are following proper cleaning procedures, and have been instructed to be more vigilant now.

The Mississippi Queen is on a fall foliage cruise, and is due in St. Louis on Wednesday.

It was one of the featured boats in this year's Tall Stacks.

http://www.wkrc.com/breaking/story.aspx?content_id=643947D4-FDF0-4343-A870-CF9E8ABDA14C

Just found this with symptoms mentioned:

Several passengers on an Ohio River boat cruise were treated at a western Kentucky hospital Friday night after experiencing flu-like symptoms, officials said.

The Mississippi Queen left Cincinnati on Wednesday and was scheduled to arrive Tuesday in St. Louis. It docked Friday night in Henderson, about 100 miles west of Louisville.

Pam Moran, a spokeswoman for Methodist Hospital, said the hospital received a call that 15 to 20 people were sick. Hospital officials enlisted help from the Green River District Health Department, which serves seven western Kentucky counties.

More than 30 people had reported that they were ill, including 22 who suffered from nausea and vomiting, Moran said. Some were treated at the hospital while others remained on the boat.
**snipped***
http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/feeds/ap/2006/10/21/ap3109279.html

 

[Sharpe]

Re: Riverboat passengers to be treated for flu-like symptoms

Sounds like a Norovirus. Quite common to have large outbreaks among people in closed spaces like cruise ships and schools. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea of short duration are common.