Some two months after the first reported introduction of the influenza A (H1N1) virus (colloquially known as “swine flu”) in our northern neighbour, Mexico, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a phase 6 alert level after the virus was detected to be spreading person-to-person in the Asia and Oceania region, in addition to North America. The virus is now the first pandemic in 40 years.
The decision was taken this morning after an emergency meeting at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO chief Margaret Chan said that, “we have evidence to suggest we are seeing the first pandemic of the 21st century,” but added that the declaration did not mean that the virus was causing more illness or death. 141 persons in 6 countries (Mexico, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Canada have died from the virus, with almost 30,000 cases reported in 74 countries as of today.
Here in Belize, the local Ministry of Health, which has been actively advising Belizeans on ways to avoid and contain the virus since its inception, sent out a press release confirming that Belize remains free of influenza A (H1N1), even as our neighbors – Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador – and Caribbean colleagues – Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago – have begun reporting cases. 7 member countries of the Caribbean Epidemiological Centre (CAREC) and all Central American countries (aside from Belize) have reported cases.
Belize’s closest encounter yet with influenza A (H1N1) currently lies at anchor roughly a mile from shore and will sail for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A. by press time tonight.
MS Enchantment of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean International Cruise Lines cruise ship carrying some 2,680 passengers, docked in Belize before 8:00 this morning, but its passengers were not allowed to leave the ship until just before 11:30 this morning. (The ship was built in Finland, first sailed in 1997, and is registered in the Bahamas, according to Royal Caribbean’s website and the ship’s page on Wikipedia.)
The reason: three crewmembers, sick with “flu-like symptoms” since a stop in Cozumel, Mexico, were quarantined and sent into immediate treatment aboard the ship on the advice of Belizean health officials.
Lloyd Enriquez of the Belize Tourism Board told Amandala by telephone this afternoon that the crewmembers, to the best of his knowledge, had not interacted with other crewmembers or passengers since their confinement. He added that the ship’s officials reported the illnesses as per standard procedure, prompting a closer investigation of the remaining crew and passengers, all of whom were cleared.
Persons close to the investigation indicated that as many as six crewmembers might be affected, with 2 needing further assessment at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH); a press release sent by the Press Office this afternoon confirmed the number, but did not indicate if the crew members were taken off the ship. Enriquez had told us that apart from one person who needed treatment for gallstones, persons leaving the ship this morning were mainly tourists.
The release stated that the inspection was conducted by an MOH-certified medical epidemiologist and 2 public health inspectors, one senior and one junior.
Two cruise ships attached to Carnival Cruise Lines, which were also visiting Belize today, were passed without trouble and their passengers disembarked.
Operations manager for the Tourism Village, James Nisbet, told Amandala late this morning that the ship’s troubles would not affect business to the Village.
“They have their protocol in place, that as soon as something like that happens, they must report it,” he said, adding that the Village currently has its own plan for containing swine flu in place.
(Information from the BBC and Reuters news websites was used in this report.)