Is the next cruise ship to the Whitsundays a potential biohazard?

Whitsundays Online
with the help of the ABC

Since our last report (15 hours ago), a total of 7 passengers and 2 crew who were on the previous leg of the cruise on the Pacific Dawn, have been confirmed to be suffering from the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus.

More than 2,000 passengers from the Pacific Dawn have been asked by the NSW Medical Authorities to quarantine themselves for a week, as fears of a swine flu epidemic mount. The ship is now on its wayhere, using some of the same crew who sailed to Sydney on yesterday's cruise.

However, the cruise ship is expected here in about 60 hours, over 100 hours short of the NSW Governements end to the requested 'self quarantine'. The has been no advice locally (Whitsundays) of any cancelled 'day trip' services to operate from the ship to Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands on Thursday.

P and O chief executive Ann Sherry says she is certain that proper procedures have been followed. "At the moment we've got a new set of passengers on a ship, we haven't been anywhere where there's swine flu," she said. "We're not going to locations where there's swine flu."

Editors Note : That is true . . . there is no swine flu in the Whitsundays . . . yet. If the 'worse case' scenario eventuates, will our small community's resources be able to handle it? 2,000 ill people can be better treated in a city of 4 million than a regional community of 30,000.

Full story at ABC News