Mauritius: a ship authorized to dock after fears of cholera

An American-owned luxury cruise ship carrying more than 3,000 passengers and crew was allowed to dock on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius on Monday after being quarantined offshore for a day out of fear of a possible cholera outbreak on board, authorities said.

The Mauritian government allowed the Norwegian Dawn , which belongs to the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line , to dock in the port of the capital, Port Louis , after health authorities found that there were no traces of cholera in tests carried out on the ship's water.

Mauritian authorities prevented the ship from docking on Sunday because 15 people on board were sick and suffering from vomiting and diarrhea . The Mauritius Port Authority said it took the decision "in order to avoid any health risks" and sent officials on board to take samples for analysis.

The Mauritian government said sick passengers who were isolated after falling ill actually had mild cases of gastroenteritis , a viral infection.

Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that there were "a small number of guests experiencing mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness" and that there were "no confirmed cases or evidence of cholera .

The Mauritian government “required testing out of an abundance of caution ,” the statement added.

Several countries in mainland southern Africa have experienced serious cholera outbreaks over the past year, which could explain the concern of authorities in Mauritius, an island nation of around 1.2 million people. located off the east coast of Africa and is a popular tourist destination .

Cruise ships have posed problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many reporting outbreaks of the disease and having to be quarantined at ports.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that a cholera epidemic is occurring in southern Africa , with a total of approximately 188,000 cases and 3,000 deaths in eight countries since January 2023.

Cholera is spread through food or water contaminated with the bacteria that causes it. Health authorities were also assessing food aboard the Norwegian Dawn for the presence of cholera. The results of those tests have not yet been reported, but authorities said they were confident there was no threat of cholera after water tests came back negative.

There were 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members on board the Norwegian Dawn when it arrived in Mauritius, the port authority said. Around 2,000 of these passengers were expected to disembark in Mauritius and complete their cruise, and 2,279 new passengers were expected to board.

All people leaving the ship will continue to be screened by health authorities, said Dr Bhooshun Ori, director of health services at the Mauritius Ministry of Health. Norwegian Cruise Line said passengers will disembark from the ship on Tuesday.

Nigeria: unions call for 2-day strike

The Nigeria Labor Congress began a two-day protest against "hunger and insecurity" across the country on Tuesday morning.

 

The Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) on Tuesday morning began a two-day protest against "hunger and insecurity" across the country.

The protest kicked off in Lagos at around 9:00 a.m. local time, before other locations followed moments later.

In a statement, the Nigeria Labor Congress also called on the government to abandon World Bank and International Monetary Fund policies that union representatives say are worsening the country's woes.

On Monday, Nigerian Finance Minister Wale Edun announced the resumption of direct cash transfers to help more than 12 million vulnerable households cope with the rising cost of living.

The minister asked Nigerians to be patient while the government implemented economic reforms.