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Agencies

A cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology has been quarantined in the Caribbean port of St Lucia for the past two days because of a confirmed case of measles, health authorities said on Thursday.
“Given the highly infectious nature of measles, along with the possibility that other persons on board the vessel may have been in contact with and are now possibly infectious due to this disease, a decision was made not to allow persons to disembark,” said Merlene Fredericks-James, the island’s chief medical officer.

“One infected person can easily infect others,” she said in a public statement.
Fredericks-James said the ship is the Freewinds, which belongs to the Church of Scientology. There are about 300 people on the ship.
How is Hong Kong responding to growing measles outbreak in Asia
The 134-metre (440-foot) vessel is normally based in Curacao and is used for religious retreats.
The church describes the ship as a “very special place”.
The ship also asked for 100 doses of measles vaccine, which St Lucia authorities are providing at no cost. The sick individual is under surveillance.




According to an online tracking website, the Freewinds arrived in St Lucia on Tuesday and was supposed to be at Dominica on Friday. It was unclear where the ship might go next as a result of the quarantine.
Fredericks-James said St Lucia authorities were not holding the vessel.
“The ship is free to leave our port anytime it wishes,” she said.
Measles outbreak: 170 million children unprotected as anti-vax movement surges
St Lucia authorities did not immediately provide an update on the female crew member who contracted measles. The church, which does not oppose immunisation, did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the last statement issued by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) on April 18, only one Caribbean country, Bahamas, has had a case of measles in 2019, a four-year-old child who had come from France.
Measles has sickened more than 700 people in 22 US states this year, with federal officials saying the resurgence is driven by misinformation about vaccines.
Agence France-Presse and Associated Press


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Measles outbreak

Scientology cruise ship Freewinds quarantined at Caribbean port of St Lucia after measles case

The Freewinds cruise ship is docked at the port of Castries, the capital of St Lucia on Thursday. Photo: AP

A 440-foot ship owned and operated by the Church of Scientology, SMV Freewinds, is docked under quarantine from a measles outbreak in port near Castries, St. Lucia, May 1, 2019. Picture taken May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Micah George NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Measles outbreak: 170 million children under 10 unprotected as global anti-vax movement surges

An illustration provides a 3D graphical representation of a spherical-shaped, measles virus particle studded with glycoprotein tubercles in this handout image obtained by Reuters April 9, 2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 19: A sign warns people of measles in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg on April 19, 2019 in New York City. As a measles epidemic continues to spread, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a state of emergency and mandated residents of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg at the center of the outbreak to get vaccinated for the viral disease. Those who choose not to will risk a $1,000 fine. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a news conference declaring a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn in response to a measles outbreak, requiring unvaccinated people living in the affected areas to get the vaccine or face fines, in the Orthodox Jewish community of the Williamsburg neighborhood, in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S., April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

In this photo taken Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Agiu Nyang, 1, who is sick with measles, sits on the lap of his mother Amel Makir at the hospital in Kuajok, South Sudan. As South Sudan emerges from a five-year civil war it is grappling with a measles outbreak in which more than 750 cases, including seven deaths, have been reported since January - almost six times the number of cases for all of 2018, according to WHO data. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

Between one and three people in every 1,000 who catch measles will die. File photo: AFP

‘Swordsman’ killed, two officers shot at Scientology centre in California

Investigators confer just down the street from the Church of Scientology after a shooting in Inglewood, Calif., Wednesday, March 27, 2019. Authorities say two police officers and a suspect were shot Wednesday after law enforcement responded to reports of a man with a sword entering the Church of Scientology in Inglewood. The suspect was shot in the head and was not expected to survive. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Investigators leave the Church of Scientology, at left rear, after a shooting in Inglewood, Calif., Wednesday, March 27, 2019. Two police officers and a suspect were shot Wednesday after law enforcement responded to reports of a man with a sword entering the Church of Scientology in Inglewood, authorities said. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

The entrance of the Scientology building in Inglewood, California. Photo: AP

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134-metre vessel is normally based in Curacao and is used for religious retreats
Ship has asked for 100 doses of measles vaccine, which St Lucia authorities are providing for free


134-metre Freewinds is normally based in Curacao and is used for religious retreats.


Disease

Americas and the Caribbean

Wellness

Scientology cruise ship Freewinds quarantined at Caribbean port of St Lucia after measles case

134-metre vessel is normally based in Curacao and is used for religious retreats Ship has asked for 100 doses of measles vaccine, which St Lucia authorities are providing for free

134-metre vessel is normally based in Curacao and is used for religious retreats

Ship has asked for 100 doses of measles vaccine, which St Lucia authorities are providing for free