A crew member onboard a Royal Caribbean ship in Alaska is suspected of becoming the state’s first case of the H1N1 swine flu.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (ADHSS) said on Sunday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified the state that a woman working on the Serenade of the Seas was recovering from a probable infection of the flu she contracted while in Washington State.
She has been taking antiviral medication and has been kept in isolation since the ship left Washington, the ADHSS said.
Washington health officials are testing the patient, the ADHSS said, and the CDC is in the process of validating their results.
The crew member got sick on May 2, around the time the Serenade left San Francisco on a 14-day trip to Alaska. The report said that the woman has been in isolation and will remain there through the duration of the ship’s cruise in Alaska waters.
"The Serenade of the Seas medical staff members have done an excellent job in caring for the patient, following strict isolation procedures in order to prevent spread to others onboard the ship, and notifying state and federal health officials of the patient’s illness," stated Jay Butler, Alaska’s chief medical officer.