Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Sarah Jane Lebrasse
Published on 2024-02-27 10:00:13
Health authorities have detected no trace of cholera on board the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship. This was announced yesterday afternoon by the Director General Health Services, Dr. Bhooshun Ori, following tests conducted on passengers suffering on board the ship.
The Ministry of Health official explained during a press conference yesterday that the cruise ship arrived in Port Louis last Saturday with 15 people suffering from gastroenteritis, and that all necessary measures had already been taken to provide the necessary care. The 12-day cruise had departed from South Africa via Mozambique and was scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but arrived a day early after missing a stop in Reunion Island. The ship had 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members. Of these, approximately 2,000 passengers had disembarked in Port Louis after completing their cruise, while another 2,279 new passengers were expected to board the ship.
“They have informed us that they have all been treated with simple treatment. None of the cases were severe gastroenteritis. We are a small island, we need to take the necessary precautions. We did not allow them to disembark and we have put them in quarantine,” Dr. Ori emphasized. He indicated that health teams boarded the ship on Saturday evening.
“The medical team has assured us that there is no cause for alarm. The ship has a well-established protocol and they are keeping the sick isolated. The medical team is satisfied with the health conditions. We have taken samples of food, water, and salt from the passengers,” the Health official stated. He added that the results from the microbiological laboratory showed no signs of infection.
“There is no cholera on this ship. The passengers do not have cholera. The water report shows that it is potable and there are no issues,” stated the Director General of Health Services.
He mentioned that the quarantine of the Norwegian Dawn has been lifted and health authorities will continue to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, Jean Daniel Labonne, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, explained that all stakeholders involved in monitoring the arrival of the cruise ship collaborated fully to ensure good coordination and manage the situation.
“The Terminal has accommodated 2,000 people. All personnel from Destination Management Companies worked to minimize inconvenience for these individuals. We had to find hotels and support from the MTPA and AHRIM that helped us with this operation. Thanks to the hotels that collaborated,” he said, noting that nearly fifty establishments hosted these passengers.
This news was picked up by the international press, including the Daily Mail, with accounts from British passengers on the ship. One passenger who was supposed to begin their cruise this weekend stated that they had tried to cancel their trip and were considering taking expensive flights to the UK because they were afraid of boarding a contaminated ship, claiming they had received no updates and that the situation was a “total disaster.”
A 59-year-old tourist mentioned that their partner “now refuses to board the ship under any circumstances” and was considering a return flight costing around 1600 euros, forfeiting any possibility of reimbursement for the trip.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
