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(CBS News) – The authorities of the island of Saint Lucia, in the eastern Caribbean, have quarantined a cruise ship after discovering a case of measles a board. Merlene Fredericks-James, Chief Medical Officer of the island, said Thursday that the ship was still in the harbor and no one had been allowed to leave.
"In our ports, we will continue to monitor and prohibit the landing, given the contagious nature of the disease," she said in a statement sent to CBS News, adding that the ship was free to leave Sainte -Lucie wanted it. .
Fredericks-James identified the infected person as a stable crew member woman. She added that the ship's doctor had requested 100 doses of measles vaccine and Saint Lucia provided them free of charge.
The Saint Lucia Ministry of Health confirmed Thursday that the vessel involved was the Freewinds. This 440-foot ship would belong to the Church of Scientology. According to the church's website, the ship, which is normally moored in Curacao, an island in the Netherlands Antilles, "is the home of the Flag Ship Service Service (FSSO), a religious retreat providing more advanced spiritual counseling in the Scientology religion. "
An unidentified person who answered the phone at the church's press center said that no one was immediately available to comment.
Authorities in St. Lucia have not provided additional details about the person with measles, but Fredericks-James said in a statement that "the confirmed case, along with the other crew members and the passengers are stable and remain under surveillance "by the ship's doctor. She added that medical supervision would be needed during the incubation period of measles, which ranged from 10 to 12 days before the onset of symptoms.
Measles is very contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In fact, it is so contagious that if a person is infected, nearly 90% of his non-immune relatives will also be infected.
Symptoms of measles include high fever, runny nose, and rash with red spots. Most people get better, but measles can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, swelling of the brain and even death in some cases. "The disease can be particularly severe in young children who are not immune," noted Fredericks-James.
Measles has sickened more than 700 people in 22 US states so far this year – the largest number of cases in 25 years. Federal officials said the outbreak of the disease was largely due to misinformation about vaccines unvaccinated people are vulnerable to the spread of the virus when cases are brought back from abroad.
In Fullerton, California, hundreds of moviegoers attend a screening ofAvengers: End of the game"They were informed that they had been exposed to measles last week by an infectious woman.
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