Over 100 individuals, including passengers and crew members, became ill during a norovirus outbreak aboard the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the CDC, 102 passengers and 13 crew members experienced health issues during the trip, which lasted from April 28 to May 11.
In light of the norovirus outbreak, Princess Cruises and the ship’s crew implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols in line with their outbreak prevention and response strategy and isolated those who were unwell, as stated by the agency.
The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which supports the cruise industry in preventing and managing gastrointestinal illness outbreaks, is carrying out an environmental evaluation and outbreak investigation to help the ship mitigate the spread of the virus.
Norovirus is extremely infectious and commonly occurs in crowded settings, which makes cruise ships particularly vulnerable to such outbreaks. The CDC has indicated that there have already been two norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships this year.
The CDC explains that norovirus can be spread through contact with an infected individual, ingesting contaminated food or water, or touching surfaces that are tainted. The virus provokes inflammation in the stomach or intestines, resulting in symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
While norovirus can be serious, particularly for young children and older adults, it differs significantly from hantavirus, which has recently affected passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted via inhaling particles from contaminated rodent droppings and, in rare cases, can also be passed between people, according to the World Health Organization. Symptoms may appear one to eight weeks post-exposure.
Currently, the Caribbean Princess cruise ship is carrying 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members, as per the CDC. The vessel departed from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 28 and is anticipated to return to Florida on Monday.
“Princess Cruises can confirm that a small number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illnesses during the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades,” the cruise line stated in a press release on Friday.
“We rapidly disinfected all areas of the ship and implemented additional sanitization measures throughout the voyage,” the cruise line further noted.
Global News has contacted Princess Cruises for additional comments, but no response has been received.
