Malta turns away ship with suspected Ebola case on board

VALLETTA, Malta (UPDATED) – Malta has turned away a ship travelling from Guinea with a suspected Ebola case on board and seeking medical assistance, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Thursday, September 19.

The sick Filipino passenger was taken in by Italy, and an initial medical assessment suggested he has hepatitis, port authorities in Sicily told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Muscat said it was “morally and legally correct” to have prevented the Hong Kong-flagged ship from entering Maltese waters late Wednesday, despite a request from the captain for assistance.

The MV Western Copenhagen, with 21 people on board, was on its way from Guinea – one of the three countries worst hit by west Africa’s Ebola epidemic – to Ukraine.

An army patrol boat was dispatched to make sure the ship did not enter Maltese waters.

“We had no way of ascertaining whether the captain was understating or overstating the situation. We do not even know if there is more than one suspected case,” Muscat said.

He argued that while international conventions state that countries are obliged to help individuals at sea in need of assistance, exceptions can be made if the country’s health system or national security could be at risk.

“We do not know the magnitude of the situation and it could be a false alarm. But we will not compromise our health system,” he said.

Valletta said the ship was 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) from Sicily and 83 nautical miles (154 kilometers) off Malta when it asked for medical assistance.

After being turned away from Malta, it turned towards Sicily and a coast guard patrol boat was dispatched from Pozzallo to meet it.

An initial medical assessment by radio while he was still on board suggested the man may be suffering from hepatitis, authorities at the port said. The passenger was met by an ambulance on the portside and taken to hospital.

The Western Copenhagen then continued on its way to Ukraine.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak on record began at the start of the year in Guinea before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The epidemic has claimed more than 2,600 lives, according to the UN’s World Health Organization. – Rappler.com