Some 20 sailors aboard the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Charlottetown were diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease during the ship’s Eastern European deployment.
According to the Canadian news site The Star , a military spokesperson confirmed the soldiers were treated to ease the symptoms of the disease.
Upon the frigate’s return from Black Sea, sailors spent a weekend at the Greek port of Souda Bay. When they returned to sea on Tuesday, there were only two two cases of the disease on the ship, the paper reported Capt. Nicola LaMarre saying.
LaMarre also added that sailors were treated according to procedures and that no quarantine was necessary.
HMCS Charlottetown departed Halifax June 27 to replace HMCS Fredericton which had been employed to Operation Reassurance from January 2016.
The ship is off to an unlucky start as Operation Reassurance was its first international mission since 2012. HMCS Charlottetown completed the Halifax-Class Modernization/Frigate Life Extension program in June 2014.
The program provided the ship with a new combat management system, a new radar capability, a new electronic warfare system upgrade, upgraded communications and missiles, as well as a new integrated platform management system.