Probable case of A/H1N1 flu detected on cruise ship in Alaska waters

Source: Xinhua | 05-11-2009 08:54

SAN FRANCISCO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A crew member on a cruise ship currently in Alaska waters has been diagnosed with probable infection of A/H1N1 influenza, health authorities in the U.S. state of Alaska announced on Sunday.

In a statement, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said it was notified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the probable case on Serenade of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship now traveling through Alaska waters.

A female crew member onboard the ship became ill while the ship was in the U.S. state of Washington. Testing on the crew member was performed by a Washington laboratory and the CDC is in the process of validating the laboratory's results.

The patient has been isolated since the ship left Washington. She is now taking antiviral drugs and is recovering, but will remain isolated throughout the duration of the ship's voyage in Alaska waters, health officials said.

If confirmed, it will be the first case of A/H1N1 flu in Alaska, one of few states in the U.S. that are free of the new flu so far.

According to the CDC, by Sunday morning, 2,532 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu have been reported in 44 U.S. states.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei