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San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque):18 Confirmed

H

hawkeye

Well-known member
Feel free to move if this should be in Hawaii thread, I can't figure it out. :)


Suspected flu outbreak forces Navy ship to scrub mission
By Steve Liewer Union-Tribune Staff Writer

2:54 p.m. May 5, 2009
SAN DIEGO — A suspected swine flu outbreak aboard a San Diego-based Navy ship has forced it to back out of a June medical mission, Navy officials said Tuesday.

One case of H1N1 influenza A has been confirmed aboard the amphibious transport dock Dubuque, said Lt. Cmdr. John Daniels, a Navy spokesman. About 50 more of the ship's sailors have suspected or probable cases of the disease.

If confirmed, the cluster aboard the Dubuque would be among the largest in the 2-week-old, international epidemic.

Daniels said the ill sailors were being treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu and have been told to stay home until they recover. Several who live aboard the ship have been moved to barracks rooms ashore.

The rest of the crew members – about 420 sailors – are taking medicine to reduce the risk of contracting swine flu while working their normal duty shifts, Daniels said.

“We're doing real vigilant cleaning of the ship,” he added.

The Dubuque had been preparing to deploy in early June on the fourth annual Pacific Partnership, a military and civilian project to bring medical care to several southern Pacific nations. It was scheduled to deploy alone, as did the hospital ship Mercy in 2006 and 2008, and the amphibious assault ship Peleliu in 2007.

Navy officials decided to scrub the Dubuque from the mission early Tuesday, said Jon Yoshishige, a spokesman for the Hawaii-based Pacific Fleet command.

He said the Navy plans to go ahead with the trip, which is scheduled to include stops in Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga.Another ship may be sent, or medical and dental teams could be flown to the sites.

The Dubuque's trip is the first deployment the Navy has cancelled because of the flu outbreak, Daniels said. So far, the service has confirmed five swine flu cases, all of them in San Diego County.

They are:

* One sailor in Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77 at North Island Naval Air Station.
* One sailor in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at Coronado Naval Base.
* The Dubuque sailor.
* Two previously reported cases, including a shore-based sailor from San Diego Naval Base at 32nd Street and a medical corpsman from Camp Pendleton.
 
US Navy halts aid vessel due to H1N1

US Navy halts aid vessel due to H1N1

From bbc news

"...officials would be looking at other alternatives to meet mission's objectives...Navy using prudent judgement in cancelling deployment...mission still go ahead but USS Dubuque would no longer be part of it..."

at link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8034991.stm
 
Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

From Veterans Today

"...USS Dubuque has been quarantined...2 crew members have been tested positive for H1N1 flu virus and are ashore...
there are 400 sailors aboard the ship who are to receive vaccinations as they become available..."
 
Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Has anyone been able to find updates information about this? I have looked and not found anything more. This situation really bothers me - a little too close to 1918 situation for my comfort. Does it make anyone else nervous? Why aren't we hearing about this in MSM?
 
Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Haven't heard a thing, and I work on base.
 
Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Two articles from today:

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/05/navy_swine_flu_dubuque_050809/

Confirmed swine flu cases on amphib now at 12

By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 8, 2009 13:15:32 EDT

The number of confirmed cases of the so-called swine flu among the crew of the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock Dubuque has risen to 12, A Navy spokesman said.

The outbreak has caused Pacific Fleet to cancel the ship?s planned June 1 deployment.

As of Friday, 12 sailors from the ship were confirmed to have the virus, also called H1N1, said Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon.

Another 39 sailors who exhibited flu-like symptoms were being tested for H1N1.

The ship was weeks away from a four-month deployment on its Pacific Partnership 2009 cruise, Surette said.

?The Navy has decided to proceed with an abundance of caution,? he said

A replacement ship or unit has not been identified, but ?the Navy is exploring its options to meet operational commitments,? he said.

Adm. Robert Willard, commander of Pacific Fleet in Hawaii, made the decision to cancel the mission.

?We are certain we will contain this virus, and the ship will not pose a threat; however, we do not want to cause concern of the spread of this virus in such remote areas of the South Pacific,? he was quoted as saying in a news release Tuesday.

The Pacific Partnership cruise for 2009 was to make humanitarian aid stops in Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Tonga.

In a news release Tuesday, Pacific Fleet announced that Pacific Partnership 2009 will proceed, albeit in a truncated form, likely with teams of specialists flown onto each island by military or civilian aircraft or arrive ?using available Navy ships.?

The Dubuque sailors come after four other confirmed Navy cases of H1N1, all in the San Diego area, as of Friday. They are:

? A hospital corpsman at Camp Pendleton.

? A sailor at the 32nd Street Naval Station.

? A sailor at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

? A sailor with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77 at Naval Air Station North Island.

***************************************
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stor...p002739-ships-fast-work-contains-h1n1-outbre/

Ship's fast work contains H1N1 outbreak
By Steve Liewer Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. May 8, 2009
SAN DIEGO ? Within a few days, the trickle of achy, feverish sailors coming into the aid station aboard the amphibious transport ship Dubuque turned into a steady stream last week.

The Dubuque's medical officers and its commander, Capt. Tom Nosenzo, could hardly ignore the symptoms, which resembled those of the swine flu outbreak spreading worldwide.

On April 30, federal health officials confirmed that a sailor on the San Diego-based ship had contracted H1N1 influenza A. Fifty others from the 420-member crew became ill and are believed to have come down with it as well.
In an e-mail sent from the quarantined ship, now docked at the San Diego Naval Base, Nosenzo said the officers and crew took quick action to control the infection.

They broke out cases of hand sanitizer and disinfectant.

?We removed self-service food from the messing areas, primarily the salad and fruit bars and baked goods,? Nosenzo wrote. ?We have conducted wipe-downs of the common areas and high-touch surfaces with diluted calcium hypochlorite to disinfect the ship.?

At first, Nosenzo said, swine flu struck mostly members of the Dubuque's engineering department. But it eventually spread to every part of the ship.
Sick crew members were told to stay home in their off-base apartments, and barracks rooms were found for those who lived aboard ship.

Medical officers treated all the patients with the antiviral drug Tamiflu ? a precaution extended to the entire crew Monday. Family members were encouraged to take the medication as well.

The infections could hardly have come at a worse time.

The Dubuque had just finished a lengthy maintenance period following a half-year deployment to the Persian Gulf that ended in November. The crew was preparing to leave again in early June for Pacific Partnership 2009, a humanitarian mission to five island nations in the South Pacific.

?All hands have been working long hours every day, weekends also, in an effort to get the ship ready,? Nosenzo said.

But this week, the Navy pulled the Dubuque from that mission because of the swine flu scare.

Navy officials have decided to continue with Pacific Partnership, said Jon Yoshishige, a spokesman for the Hawaii-based Pacific Fleet command. It's not clear, though, whether another ship will replace the Dubuque or if the medical and dental aid crews will be flown in to treat patients.

?The ship would have gone to islands that haven't seen a U.S. Navy ship since World War II,? Nosenzo said. ?For most of the personnel on board, this would have been their only opportunity to see this area of the South Pacific and interact with the people on these islands on a personal level.?
For the moment, the Dubuque remains moored at its San Diego pier.
 
Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

This is the latest news I know of about the Dubuque.


http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/05/navy_swine_flu_dubuque_050809/





...............................................
I found something interesting in one of the actions taken was the removal of self serve foods.:applause:
D
 
Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Re: San Diego-based Navy ship (Dubuque): 50 Suspected/Probable, 1 Confirmed

Now 18 confirmed

Navy says its number of swine flu cases now at 18

By PAULINE JELINEK ? 8 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The number of sailors with swine flu now has jumped to 18 from just a handful earlier this week, the Navy said Friday.

Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John M. Daniels said the number spiked when 11 suspected cases from the USS Dubuque were confirmed.

The Navy had announced Tuesday that it was canceling the deployment of the San Diego-based ship after one member of the crew fell ill.

The 11 new confirmed cases were among 50 people the Navy said at that time were showing symptoms and being treated with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. The ship was scheduled to leave June 1 for the South Pacific.

Daniels said all but one of the 18 infected sailors are in the San Diego area.
They include one at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, one at Naval Base San Diego, two at Naval Air Station North Island and one at the Naval Special Warfare Center. There is one Virginia case ? a sailor at the Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine unit at Norfolk.
 
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