UPDATE 3 p.m. 10/17/2014: The Carnival Magic has since been denied entry to Mexico and is headed home. Click here for that story.
A lab supervisor who might have handled samples from an Ebola patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital is quarantined on the Carnival Magic cruise ship.
Carnival Cruise Lines said it was notified late afternoon Oct. 15 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the woman boarded the ship in Galveston on Oct. 12. The Dallas hospital is where two nurses contracted Ebola after working with patient Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who died Oct. 8.
"The employee did not have direct contact with the since-deceased Ebola patient, but may have had contact with clinical specimens collected from him," the State Department said in a press statement. "The individual was out of the country before being notified of CDC's updated requirements for active monitoring. At the time the hospital employee left the country, CDC was requiring only self-monitoring."
Carnival said the woman has not exhibited any symptoms of infection in the 19 days since she was in the lab with test samples from the stricken patient.
"She is deemed by CDC to be very low risk," Carnival said on Oct. 17. "At this time, the guest remains in isolation on board the ship and is not deemed to be a risk to any guests or crew. It is important to reiterate that the individual has no symptoms and has been isolated in an extreme abundance of caution."
The employee has been self-monitoring, including daily temperature checks, since Oct. 6, and has not had a fever or demonstrated any symptoms of illness, according to the State Department. Carnival and the CDC are in close contact and working on a plan to return the hospital employee and her spouse to the U.S.
Carnival said the ship made a normal visit to Belize on Oct. 16, and that guests were free to disembark except for the two in voluntary isolation. The ship is in Cozumel today, Oct. 17.
Belize denied entry to the hospital worker, according to a government statement posted on Facebook.
Carnival said none of its ships visit the region where Ebola cases are originating. Any passengers or crew who have visited or traveled through Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea within 21 days of a cruise departure date will be denied boarding. All guests sailing must answer health screening questions during embarkation and, if deemed necessary, will be asked to submit to further medical screening prior to being allowed to board.
The Carnival Magic is based year-round in Galveston and operates seven-day cruises to the Caribbean. The ship will return to the homeport on Oct. 19.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
