Crime & Safety
19 Ship Passengers Evaluated At Port Of LA For Unknown Illness
Passengers disembarked from a cruise ship at the Port of Los Angeles after suffering flu-like symptoms — the second such incident this week.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Paramedics in San Pedro Sunday evaluated 19 people for flu-like systems aboard a cruise ship that experienced a similar situation last week.
All 19 declined transport to the hospital, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The fire department received a call at 5:10 a.m. prior to the Norwegian Cruise Lines ship Joy arriving at the Port of Los Angeles for 20 passengers onboard reporting an unspecified illness, Stewart said.
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On Nov. 24, paramedics were sent to Berth 91 at the Port of Los Angeles at 9:17 a.m. and evaluated six passengers, determining that four of them required hospital treatment, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The cruise line later issued a statement about the incident that said: "The safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is our number one priority. As such, we operate at the very highest public health standards. During Norwegian Joy's Panama Canal sailing, a few guests on-board experienced a stomach-related illness. To mitigate any impact of this rare occurrence, we implemented stringent sanitation procedures. As always, we will continue to monitor this situation."
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Battalion Chief Jaime Brown of the LAFD told KTLA5 on Sunday that "apparently there's definitely an illness going around and the ship" and that cruise line staff would conduct "all sanitation procedures and protocol that are supposed to be followed today."
Los Angeles Supervisor Janice Hahn issued the following statement Sunday: "I am calling on the Center for Disease Control to work closely with our L.A. County Public Health officials to ensure the passenger illnesses aboard the Norwegian Joy do not become an infectious disease outbreak here in the harbor area. This is the second time in a week that this ship has been forced to dock at the Port of Los Angeles due to passenger illness and it raises serious concerns about the hygiene of this ship. If the ship is not cleaned to a point that ensures the health and safety of its passengers, it should not be allowed to leave dock."
Efforts to reach a Norwegian Cruise Lines representative were not immediately successful.
—By City News Service
