Navy swine flu cases rise to 57 as Iwo Jima returns home

By Kate Wiltrout

The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK

A tightly packed amphibious assault ship, with 2,500 sailors and Marines and little private space, is a dream cruise for a communicable disease.

That's why a recent swine flu outbreak on the Iwo Jima kept the ship's medical officers busy.

"We're doing an awful lot of cleaning," Capt. Jeff Amick, the commanding officer, said Friday after the ship tied up at Norfolk Naval Station's Pier 9.

Amick said Friday that 49 sailors or Marines aboard the ship had confirmed cases of swine flu, or H1N1. The first suspected case showed up May 27, the day they left New York City after the festivities of Fleet Week.

The ship left Norfolk on May 17.

About 20 to 25 sailors at a time were kept in the infirmary with flu-like symptoms, including fever, aches and coughing. All are recovering.

There was no specific pattern among those who fell ill, he said. Sailors from various departments across the ship were affected.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew kept busy cleaning - especially the handrails, where bacteria breed, Amick said - while personnel in the mess decks and wardrooms took extra precautions.

Amick said the ship switched to having culinary specialists serve all food, instead of having sailors serve themselves. Culinary workers who showed flu symptoms were quarantined for an additional three days after symptoms passed, he said. Other crews returned to work 24 hours after their symptoms cleared.

The Iwo Jima was prepared for the contingency, Amick said. A plan was in place for such an outbreak, and the ship was able to complete all its missions. In addition to picking up and dropping off Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., the ship practiced air operations and offloaded munitions in Earle, N.J. That's on top of the pomp and ceremony of Fleet Week in New York City.

Sixteen patients remain in the infirmary, he said, waiting for their symptoms to clear.

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com