Tag: COVID-19

The outbreak of coronavirus has been at the centre of discussions as it has already led to a number of fatalities, while the shipping industry and stakeholders have issued advises and steps to be taken so that seafarers are protected.

The newly identified Coronavirus has made world headlines, as it is suspected to have caused the death of nine people and over 400 have been diagnosed with the illness. If the prevalence of the virus increases, Steamship notes that the shipping industry should first and foremost look after the health of crew members, but it can also face reporting and quarantine measures to guard against the spread of the disease, as well as issues in terms of charterparties.

In fact, a new strain of coronavirus, which causes a type of pneumonia, was first detected in December 2019 in the central city of Wuhan. Although confirmed cases are concentrated in Wuhan, the outbreak is understood to have spread to Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen as well in Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

10 people on board the cruise ship Norwegian Joy were treated by paramedics on Sunday, December 1, after reporting minor medical complaints, marking the second time within a period of one week that passengers from the vessel had to be treated for illness after returning from a trip.

A norovirus outbreak made passengers and crew on board the Princess Cruises ship 'Sun Princess' evacuate the ship, as hundreds got sick. The cruise ship had departed on November 1st from Australia, heading to Singapore, carrying 2,000 passengers.

Club correspondents Steers/Cariconsult International, Bridgetown, Barbados have advised the Club of an ongoing outbreak of Chikungunya virus in the Caribbean.The Chikungunya virus is transmitted by two types of infected mosquito, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus, which are easily identified by white bands on their legs. Chikungunya is not fatal, but the symptoms can be severe and debilitating. There is no vaccine, therefore treatment is aimed at relieving the symptoms.SymptomsChikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain. Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually lasts for a few days or may be prolonged to weeks.Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years. Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints. Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death. Often symptoms in infected individuals are mild and the infection may go unrecognized, or be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue occurs.Precautionary MeasuresMosquitoes tend to bite between dawn and dusk, with possible peaks of biting ...

American P&I: MERS virus situation in South Korea

The Skuld P&I Club informs that currently there are no shipping quarantine or other restrictions as a result of the MERS situation in South Korea

The French Ministry of Health has recently published an alert about the continued risk of the mosquito born chikungunya virus, with respect to outbreaks in the French West Indies and French Guyana.This virus is transmitted by mosquito bites and at present there is no vaccine or cure.

In April 2014, the West of England P&I Club advised operators about the Ebola Virus outbreak in a number of West African countries.