CASTRIES, St. Lucia (NBC) – The Caribbean island of St. Lucia has quarantined a cruise ship that docked there after a case of measles was diagnosed on board the ship.
The country’s chief medical officer posted a statement online Tuesday saying she imposed the order after conferring with the Pan American Health Organization about the risk of exposure to people on the island.
A St. Lucia Coast Guard sergeant told NBC news that the cruise ship is named “Freewinds” which is owned and operated by the Church of Scientology.
“We got information early this morning from two sources, two reputable sources, that there was a confirmed case of measles on board a cruise ship which visited our island,” said St. Lucia Chief
Medical Officer Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James. “As per the Quarantine Act, our authority under the Quarantine Act, the Public Health Act, and after internal discussions as well as discussions with external health agencies such as the Pan American Health Organization, we thought it prudent that we quarantine this ship.”
The 440-foot Freewinds serves as a religious retreat according to the church’s website.
The quarantine comes as the number of measles in the U.S. has shot to a 25-year high with more than 700 people diagnosed with the highly contagious disease.
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