A Cruise from the Church of Scientology was quarantined on a Caribbean island for a case of measles onboard

A cruise of 300 pbadengers on board was quarantined on the island of Santa Lucia, in the Caribbean, after confirming a case of measles in the crew, The channel reported Wednesday NBC.

It is thought that the ship Freewinds, 134 meters long, It belongs to the Church of Scientology, which has been using it since 1988 for religious retreats. The country's authorities have not confirmed it, but the sergeant of his coastguard, Victor Theodore, said it would act from the same ship, according to the statement. NBC.

Up to here the controversial The Church of Scientology, known for its secrecy and for having among its members prominent personalities, such as the American actor Tom Cruise, is expressed in this regard.

Quarantine began Monday when it was checked that a member of the crew was infected with the measles virus, highly contagious and expanding in different parts of America due to rejection of vaccination.

The authorities of Santa Lucia, a small Caribbean country near the coast of Venezuela, They reported being in contact with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

"Measles is very contagious and anyone who is not sufficiently immunized can contract the disease if they come into contact with a confirmed case. It is therefore very likely that other persons on board the ship have been exposedsaid Marlene Frederick-James, chief of medical services in St. Lucia.

As long as the doctor of the Freewinds has ensured that the case is isolated and that the individual is in stable conditions.

Quarantine means that no pbadenger or crew can descend to St. Lucia, where the ship is moored, but the country does not have the power to retain the Freewinds, who could leave if his captain decides. Before the measles case was detected, he was scheduled to leave this Thursday at 23:59 (local time).

Formerly considered eradicated, the measles disease has again occupied the headlines of the world's press more than 700 cases were recorded in the United States alone, the highest number since 1994.

Experts say the main cause of this outbreak the anti-vaccination movement that is developing in different parts of the world, as well as the rejection of vaccination based on religious issues, as happened in the neighborhood of Orthodox Jews in New York, become one of the hotbeds of the current epidemic.