Cruise ship quarantined off coast of Belize with U.S. Ebola nurse on board

A passenger on a U.S. cruise ship in the Caribbean has been quarantined after it was thought he or she handled Ebola specimens. The U.S. State Department said the Dallas health worker may have been exposed to specimens from the first patient diagnosed with ebola in the U.S. The Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital worker did not have direct contact with now deceased Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan and was showing no symptoms of the disease, according to US officials. But the unnamed staff member could have processed Mr Duncan’s bodily fluids 19 days ago, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. She did not specify the location or operator of the ship, but media in the Central American nation of Belize said its Government was keeping the cruise ship offshore.

When even the smallest doubt remains, we will ensure the health and safety of the Belizean people.

Belize government statement

In a statement, the Belize government said that “out of an abundance of caution, the Government of Belize decided not to facilitate a US request for assistance in evacuating the passenger” via a coastal airport. Belize news reports identified the ship as the Carnival Magic. The employee left on a cruise from Galveston, Texas, on Sunday, before federal health officials updated requirements for active monitoring of anyone exposed to the virus. The worker has remained isolated in a cabin with a travelling partner since 6 October, self-monitoring with daily temperature checks, but has not reported a fever or illness.

Health belize