Belize confirms patient with Ebola symptoms on cruise ship off its coast

October 2014 – BELIZE – Reports tonight are that two individuals possibly infected with the Ebola virus are in Belizean waters. Local TV station Channel 7 monitored in Belmopan tonight, reported having credible reports that a couple from a Texas-based cruise ship presently anchored off Belize City, is on a ship tender, unable to return to the cruise ship, while being refused entry to Belize City to catch an air ambulance awaiting at the International Airport to take them to the their country of origin, the U.S.A. The television station in its broadcast tonight said Belize health authorities contacted tonight have so far refused to deny or confirm the report. Later tonight in breaking news,  Channel 5 Belize is reported that it has: “Confirmed with representatives of the Ministry of Health that they have indeed received a report that there is at least one passenger on board the cruise ship, Carnival Magic, showing symptoms similar to that of the Ebola virus. According to the report made to MOH, the person exhibiting the symptoms did not come ashore today. The ship is reportedly carrying 3652 passengers and a total population of 4633 persons. “The Carnival Magic departed from Galveston Texas on Sunday, October 12 arrived in Mahogany Bay, Honduras on Wednesday October 15 and arrived in Belize this morning, Thursday October 16.

“The ship was scheduled to leave Belize en route to Cozumel this evening at 5pm. However, it is still anchored in Belizean waters near State Bank Caye.” “We have also have confirmed that the Coast Guard has been deployed to prevent anyone from leaving the ship; including the Belizean pilot on board.” In a press conference held last weak, Belize’s Ministry of Health stated that in the event of an outbreak of Ebola in Belize, no patient would be allowed into the commercial capital Belize City, where most of the Belize government cabinet officials reside. The MOH stated that the government hospital, the Karl Heuesner Memorial Hospital has but one Intensive Care Unit and they would not allow this to be overrun with Ebola patients. Belize is a a very poor country that depends to a large extent on tourism for its foreign exchange income. Belize City is currently the main port of call for cruise ships. –Belizean

Spain quarantines four: The emergency protocol for dealing with a possible case of the Ebola virus was activated at Madrid’s Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport on a day that saw four people hospitalised with possible symptoms of the Ebola virus. The airport protocol was activated after a Nigerian passenger on an Air France flight (AF1300) from Paris, but who had started his journey in Lagos, complained of fever, headache, shivering and sweating, causing the plane crew to alert Spanish authorities, Xinhua reported. The aircraft, which was carrying 156 passengers and seven crew, was taken to a designated area at Barajas airport, the possible Ebola suspect was then taken to the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid, while the remaining passengers were allowed to disembark from the plane after having their details taken and instructed to get in contact with the hospital should they develop signs of fever. Thursday also saw two further people taken to the Carlos III Hospital, where nursing auxiliary Teresa Romero is being treated for the virus. The first of these was confirmed as someone who had been carried in the same Ambulance as Romero, after she had originally been taken to hospital in Alcorcon Oct 6.

The ambulance carried no special protection against the virus and after taking Romero to hospital was not disinfected for 12 hours during which it carried a further 7 people. The patient, who health authorities confirm is not a medical worker, had formed part of a group of over 50 people considered to be “low risk” of being infected with Ebola. The third person taken to the Carlos III is a Spanish missionary from the “San Juan de Dios” order, the same as Manuel Garcia Viejo, who died in Madrid of the virus in September. The missionary, who returned from Liberia Tuesday was taken to the hospital after developing a fever. Finally a person who abandoned Sierra Leone eight days ago has also been taken to hospital in Tenerife as a precautionary measure after developing a fever. Meanwhile Romero’s state continues to give ground for optimism and Fernando Simon, the Director of the Center for Alerts and Sanitary Emergencies, informed on Thursday that: “the level of the virus in her body has diminished…Her immune system is being able to control the infection.”Simon added that Romero’s internal organs were “improving” and there were “clear signs for hope,” 17 days after first developing symptoms of the disease. –Daijworld