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Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James, said that after internal discussions and discussions with the Pan American Health Organization "we considered it prudent to quarantine the ship."
She said that someone with measles could easily infect other people by coughing and sneezing. She said that they had learned of the existence of measles from two reputable sources.
The ship, named "Freewinds", is still docked here, the Coast Guard Sgt. Victor Theodore told NBC News.
The St. Lucia Times published an image of the ship Wednesday and several maritime sighting websites show the ship at Port Castries on the Caribbean island.
The Church of Scientology has not responded to CNN's request for comment. It is written on his website that the ship is a religious retreat at the top of a Scientologist's spiritual journey.
Fredericks-James stated that no one was allowed to disembark from the ship.
Using quarantine to help control an outbreak, though uncomfortable, is an important public health option, said Rebecca Katz, Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at the World Health Organization. Georgetown University last week.
"Quarantine is a word people react to very strongly, but it's actually one of the most powerful tools in the public health toolkit," Katz said. "But because it restricts civil liberties, most public health officials are very cautious."
Each state has laws in place that allow for quarantine and other public health enforcement tools. These laws differ from one country to another. For anyone who refuses to cooperate, the actions can range from issuing an order of isolation, "to record once a day via the Internet, to place a tracking device on a person or to place an armed guard in front of their home," said Katz.
"Sometimes people feel like they're being treated like criminals," Katz added. "The goal is to be treated as if you were doing something that contributes to your society and to be treated as a criminal if you disobey."
Fredericks-James said health officials were using the authority conferred on them by the country's quarantine law and public health law.
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that can spread in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes or when someone comes in direct contact or shares germs while touching the same objects or surfaces. Symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash of red pimples.
Dave Alsup and Sandee LaMotte from CNN contributed to this report.
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