A cruise ship quarantined for a case of measles left the Caribbean island of St Lucia. According to reports, health officials supplied a hundred doses of vaccine to the vessel.
This week, the Church of Scientology ship was confined to port by island health officials after the contagious disease was detected.
The ship left St Lucia and is heading for Curacao Island. One case of measles was confirmed onboard the vessel which had been docked in the port close to the capital, Castries, since Tuesday, April 30, St Lucia’s chief medical officer, Dr Merlene Frederick-James, said in a video statement.
The confirmed case and other crew members were reportedly stable but remained under surveillance by the doctor of the ship. The incubation period of measles is 10-12 days before symptoms appear.
The 440-ft long Panama-flagged vessel (identified as SMV Freewinds) is owned and operated by the Church of Scientology. The shipowner describes the ship on its website as a floating “religious retreat ministering the most advanced level of spiritual counseling in the Scientology religion”.
Nearly 300 crew and passengers were on the liner, with a female crew member diagnosed with measles.