Irishman relieved to leave liner at centre of disease scare

AN Irish man on a cruise ship at the centre of a suspected outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease spoke yesterday of his relief that the trip is over.

Pat Meade from Cobh, Co Cork, said he would be happy to get home after news of the outbreak on board the Black Watch was confirmed in Stockholm on Friday.

“We have been told that the liner is to be fumigated,” he said.

“Hygiene has been meticulous. Those people being sick put a different perspective on things. If anyone coughs or sneezes, everyone seems to be looking around and checking themselves.”

He is one of 40 Irish holidaymakers on the liner, which has 770 passengers and over 300 staff. He joined the cruise at Dover for a 17-day trip to the Baltic almost two weeks ago.

Before arriving in Sweden, the ship had travelled to Estonia and Finland. It had also been scheduled to go to Denmark and Norway.

But the cruise was cut short on Friday after the suspected outbreak.

The ship was due to dock in Dover in the early hours of this morning — two days ahead of schedule.

Seven elderly Britons, five women and two men in their 70s and 80s, were admitted to hospital in Stockholm on Friday after they showed “pneumonia-like symptoms”.

They are in a stable condition but are expected to be in hospital for a few days.

Water samples have been taken from the ship to find the source of the illness.

A spokeswoman for the ship’s owners Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said the health and safety of its passengers and crew is its highest priority.

“We will take all steps necessary to eradicate all trace of the bacteria should it be found anywhere on the ship. Getting the ship back will allow us to do a thorough disinfection and cleansing,” she said.

Last year, another Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ship was hit twice within weeks by a winter virus.

A quarter of the 400 passengers on board the Black Prince in July suffered from a vomiting bug.

Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease are similar to a flu-like illness with muscle aches, tiredness, dry cough and fever, leading on to pneumonia. It can be treated with antibiotics.