ST. JOHN'S: A cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology has been quarantined in the Caribbean port of Saint Lucia for the past two days because of a confirmed case of measles, health authorities said Thursday.
"Given the highly infectious nature of measles, along with the possibility that other persons onboard the vessel may have been in contact with and are now possibly infectious due to this disease, a decision was made not to allow persons to disembark," said Merlene Fredericks-James, the island's chief medical officer.
She said the ship is the Freewinds, which belongs to the Church of Scientology. The 440-foot (134- meter) vessel is normally based in Curacao and is used for religious retreats.
The church describes the ship as a "very special place."
The ship also asked for 100 doses of measles vaccine, which Saint Lucia authorities are providing at no cost. The sick individual is under surveillance.
The church, which does not oppose immunization, did not respond to requests for comment by AFP.
According to the last statement issued by Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on April 18, only one Caribbean country, Bahamas, has had a case of measles in 2019, a four-year-old child who had come from France.
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