MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands working on a policy to protect the Islands from norovirus
The norovirus appears every now and then among cruise passengers The Falkland Islands is aiming to develop a policy to protect the territory from the spread of norovirus, an infection which is not uncommon in big urban centres but which several cruise vessels have also experienced.
At a meeting of the Falklands Health and Medical Services Committee held this week a paper by the Chief Medical Officer Dr Angela Rowlands was considered.
The paper basically recommends that a policy is put in place to protect the Islands from possible infection from visiting cruise ships.
Tourism is one of the main industries of the Falklands with dozens of cruise vessels and thousands of visitors calling in summer months, some of which carry more passengers than the whole population of the capital Stanley and even of the Islands.
In effect the total Islands population is approximately 3.000 and Stanley's 2.200 according to the 2012 census
Precisely in 2011 a cruise vessel was turned away because a number of passengers aboard had contracted the norovirus.
Norovirus is a gastrointestinal infection which spreads very rapidly. It can have serious effects on the very young, the elderly and those with serious chronic conditions.
At the Health and Medical services committee it was decided that Dr. Rowlands speaks to the Tourist Board to further discuss the issue working on from the paper with recommendations.
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Read all commentsThe ONLY way to save Malvinas Argentine Islands all types of viruses, is the removal of all British, especially English who tread its soil Argentine...
Dec 07th, 2013 - 12:59 am 0Aaah yeah. Not only did that make no sense grammatically, but it made no sense dramatically.
Dec 07th, 2013 - 05:51 am 0Gawd awful boring as per usual José.
Jose, nothing on the islands has changed. There has been no push to give the islands to Argentina, despite all of Cristina's shouting and screaming. There has been no move by the UN to “de-militarize” the islands or no offer of talks to give the islands to Argentina. I think you need to understand something here - Argentina will never have the islands never. I think instead of getting all bitter and twisted about it you just have to accept it. There will be no war again fro the islands, there will be no great South American invasion of these islands and the people who live there, who were born there and who made Stanley with their own bare hands - will never just hand the islands over to Argentina. Go and concentrate on sorting out your own country and leave the people of the islands to get on with their own lives!
Dec 07th, 2013 - 06:02 am 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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