That many students participating in the Leeward Islands Debating Competition became very sick on Friday (see related story) is obviously most regrettable. Not only did the incident involve children, but the majority were visitors as well.
It also raised eyebrows because of early indications it might have been food poisoning, while there has been much discussion over recent food safety inspections and the temporary closure of various restaurants. Coincidentally, more comprehensive controls that included Immigration and other services at the same resort hosting the regional debate contest had led to a suspension of such activities by a multi-disciplinary team pending clarity on what had taken place.
To be sure, the health inspections continue unabated, but it turns out what just happened at Sonesta Maho Beach may not be linked to food hygiene problems, but rather a virus. Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that there were several cases of a gastrointestinal illness that is on the rise in North America and the Caribbean at the hotel, but as of February 24 these were isolated to three rooms.
Unfortunately, many of the youngsters still seem to have gotten it, which led to an emergency situation. As the infection reportedly is transmitted via the faecal-oral route, washing one’s hands with disinfecting soap especially before eating is the best mode of prevention.
Other hotels, American University of the Caribbean (AUC) and some local schools apparently also have experienced cases of the stomach flu. This newspaper actually learned after the fact that a different major hotel on the island also had suffered not too long ago an outbreak of what was referred to as the “Norovirus” that is common mostly on cruise ships and behaves much like the currently widespread viral gastroenteritis.
While all involved were said to have handled Friday’s crisis well, Saturday’s front page picture of youths lying in pain on the sidewalk at St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) illustrates the limited capacity of the Emergency Room (ER) to handle a large number of patients quickly should a calamity occur. Especially for an island that is regularly confronted with natural disasters, including devastating hurricanes, that remains a continued point of concern.
