Black Watch - 6 passengers in Legionnaires' disease scare

[coxswain]

At least five Britons are among six cruise ship passengers admitted to hospital in Sweden after showing symptoms of Legionnaires' disease.

 

A spokeswoman for cruise operator Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said the group of elderly holidaymakers had "pneumonia-like symptoms".

 

The passengers from the Black Watch ship would be in hospital for the next few days, she told Reuters news agency.

 

Water tests are being carried out to find the source of the illness.

 

Company spokeswoman Wendy Hooper-Greenhill told the AFP news agency: "Six passengers have been hospitalised in Stockholm."

 

Swedish officials had taken samples of water from on board the ship, which was carrying 756 passengers and crew members, to determine if the holidaymakers had caught the illness on board, she said.

 

It was not clear whether the disease was Legionnaires', but the ship was to be deep-cleaned after all passengers had been disembarked, she added.

 

"At the moment, not only is the infection a bit of a mystery but how it was contracted is as well," she told Reuters news agency.

 

Jerker Jonsson, a Stockholm region infectious disease specialist, told AFP that the group was in a "stable condition".

 

But he added: "This is probably a case of Legionnaires' disease."

 

Henrik Cars, port and traffic manager for Stockholm Ports, told BBC News 24 the cruise operators had co-operated well and they were now trying to confirm the source of the suspected outbreak.

 

"They will definitely try to find out where it comes from," he said.

 

Before arriving in Sweden, the ship had travelled to Estonia and Finland.

 

It had also been scheduled to go to Denmark and Norway, but the company cancelled the last stops as a "precautionary measure".

 

The vessel has now left Stockholm with its remaining passengers and is due back in Dover on Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

 

jj.....

[zacca]

I read about this in the news too. I was on the Braemar a few months ago and all I can say is that I thought the hygiene standards were good overall, they paid particular attention to everyone using the hand foam before entering the restaurants, and even when coming aboard the ship from shore.Of course, if it is Legionnaires, that is carried by water droplets, possibly from an air conditioning system, but maybe not even on the ship itself.What bad luck for all the passengers, those who have had to miss out on port calls, amd those who are sick, lets hope they get well very soon.

[mufi]

Yes we found on Braemar that the hand gell routine was followed shipwide. Not so, recenty, on QM2 where the dipensers were in the dining rooms but using them seemed entirely voluntary. Most passengers did not bother!

 

David.

[GAV BOY]

Yes we found on Braemar that the hand gell routine was followed shipwide. Not so, recenty, on QM2 where the dipensers were in the dining rooms but using them seemed entirely voluntary. Most passengers did not bother!

 

David.

 

I was on the Black Watch in April, and we were delayed in boarding while they disinfected the ship in Southampton, but even so during the cruise people were being taken ill at an alarming rate. We had to disinfect our hands constantly and on the day we disembarked i was beginning to feel unwell.

 

I was on the QE2 in June and there were no hand washing facilities whatsoever and yet i did not hear of anyone being unwell ! :confused:

 

regards,

 

Gavin :cool:

[Guest Anorak33]

GavBoy - things must have changed on QE2 since I was on it - you say "there were no handwashing facilities whatever" - I had a washbasin in my cabin, when I toured the galley there were sinks everywhere, and every public loo had a row of immaculately kept washbasins with soap hot water and towels.

 

Also you mention that you began to feel unwell at the end of your cruise on Black Watch - did it develop into any recognizable disease?

 

You say you had to disinfect your hands "constantly". Do you just mean before entering the dining room and leaving/entering the ship? Or when else?

[tom_uk]

I suspect Gav Boy meant 'hand disinfection' facilities rather than hand washing per se.

 

But going back to Black Watch & the legionairres disease outbreak: the latest report suggest that Black watch was not the source of the outbreak. Here's a report from the BBC site yesterday:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6923541.stm

 

Although that's a statement by the company, no-one seems to be arguing with it.

[GAV BOY]

GavBoy - things must have changed on QE2 since I was on it - you say "there were no handwashing facilities whatever" - I had a washbasin in my cabin, when I toured the galley there were sinks everywhere, and every public loo had a row of immaculately kept washbasins with soap hot water and towels.

 

Also you mention that you began to feel unwell at the end of your cruise on Black Watch - did it develop into any recognizable disease?

 

You say you had to disinfect your hands "constantly". Do you just mean before entering the dining room and leaving/entering the ship? Or when else?

 

Sorry i meant there was no noticeable hand disinfecting on QE2 , there normaly is !

 

On Black Watch there were also bottles of disinfectant stationed in cabin corridors, in the shops and in Public rooms, also on leaving and returning to the ship you had to disinfect your hands. The staff who swiped the security cards were wearing gloves and they would wipe your card with a cloth before returning it to you !

 

Also in the dinning room ,there was no self service buffet and the staff were wearing gloves, and even passed you sealed butter with tongs !

 

there were also several instances of people being sick near public area`s, once i saw staff cleaning up near a Lift, the area was sealed off and they were wearing overalls , gloves and masks.

 

We disembarked in Venice and the ship carried on for a few more days, we returned home on the "Orient Express" and though i was not sick ,due to my upset stomach, sadly i was unable to sample all of the lovely food served on the train !

 

regards,

 

Gavin :cool: