By
Rebecca Gibson |
Following a recent outbreak of meningococcal meningitis which left four crew members hospitalised after the ship docked in Livorno, Italy, MSC Orchestra has taken preventative measures to ensure the safety of remaining crew and passengers.
After the crew members were hospitalised on 7 October, MSC issued over 2,800 doses of prophylactic antibiotics to remaining crew and passengers and advised any passengers who had disembarked in the past week to take similar precautions. Two of the crew members remained in critical condition on 9 October.
Pierfrancesco Lepore, head of MSC Cruises Corporate Medical Services, said: “We reacted promptly and provided all passengers and crew with an antibiotic treatment (Ciprofloxacin is the active ingredient) which is easy and safe to take, as well as highly effective as a preventative measure."
MSC’s swift reaction to the outbreak appeared to have been successful. Lepore remarked: ’No additional crew members and no guests have presented symptoms. The situation onboard MSC Orchestra is under control and an MSC Cruises medical taskforce is currently onboard to closely monitor the situation and ensure that all necessary procedures are followed.”
Despite the outbreak, MSC Orchestra left Livorno as planned, docking at Villefranche, France on 8 October, before embarking on its intended tour, with the next stops including Valencia, Ibiza, Tunis and Catania.