Passengers seek compensation for illness on cruise ship
Several passengers on a Scottish cruise have contracted a serious winter vomiting bug A cruise liner at the Scottish port of Invergordon made headlines on Monday 6th July 2009 when it was revealed that several passengers had been struck by […]
Several passengers on a Scottish cruise have contracted a serious winter vomiting bug
A cruise liner at the Scottish port of Invergordon made headlines on Monday 6th July 2009 when it was revealed that several passengers had been struck by the vomiting bug norovirus. By Tuesday, 380 passengers and members of the crew aboard the Marco Polo showed signs of the virus, according to the BBC (BBC News, 07/07/09 i).
The death of 74-year-old passenger Roy Sillet on Monday morning caused further controversy for the tour operator, Transocean Tours of Bremen, amid claims that his death was linked to the outbreak of norovirus. Transocean declared in a public statement that in an “unrelated incident” Mr. Sillet, who allegedly had “chronic heart and breathing problems,” was unable to be resuscitated following a heart attack (BBC News, 06/07/09).
Despite this, the interim public health director for NHS Highland, Dr. Ken Oates, declared on Monday that the cause of death was as yet unknown, and had to be confirmed by a post mortem (BBC News, 06/07/09).
Dr. Oates also told the BBC that “It was quite late in the day [on Monday] when we became aware of all the facts and by that time a lot of the passengers had already been out and about,” (BBC News, 07/07/09 ii). Councillor Maxine Smith added: “They have been allowed to go into local cafes and shops when apparently this virus is spread by touch. This is really concerning,” (Telegraph.co.uk).
A danger to public health
On Monday, passengers on the Marco Polo were allowed ashore at Invergordon, after the port’s health officials allegedly conducted a health inspection which authorised Transocean’s onboard staff to allow passengers who had been declared healthy to leave the ship in order to sightsee. (BBC News, 06/07/09)
Nonetheless Maxine Smith, who is the highland councillor for Cromarty Firth, raised concerns that not enough had been done in the first stages of the incident to inform passengers, locals and health officials. “There doesn’t seem to have been any protocols in place, there was no information,” Councillor Smith told the BBC, voicing the worries of local shopkeepers and residents of Invergordon who feared infection from potential carriers of norovirus. (BBC News, 07/07/09 ii)
NHS Highland did advise that the danger of infection to local residents was extremely low. Although common, the health risk of the norovirus bug is greatly magnified in confined spaces – of which cruise ships are a perfect example. Despite being also known as the winter vomiting bug, norovirus can strike at any time of the year, especially threatening children, the old and those already suffering from ill health. Most often, however, those who catch the norovirus bug can expect to make a recovery in a few days. (BBC News, 06/07/09)
At risk from infection
Prof. Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist at the University of Aberdeen explained that norovirus is spread person-to-person, as well as being spread less commonly through food and water and contact with contaminated surfaces or objects like door handles (Telegraph.co.uk). Prof. Pennington pointed out that in situations such as this one aboard a cruise liner, once a person has vomited the virus becomes much more difficult to eradicate. (BBC News, 07/07/09 ii)
A passenger on a previous cruise from Tilbury in June, where a sickness bug had also struck several passengers, said this of the tour operators: “Nothing was said to us about taking care to wash our hands etc. It was only in the last few days that someone was standing outside the restaurants and giving us the gel to use on our hands,” (BBC News, 07/07/09 i).