A norovirus outbreak on the Caribbean Princess has left more than 100 passengers and crew members ill during a 13-night Southern Caribbean voyage, NBC News reported, citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This comes after a deadly hantavirus outbreak hit another cruise ship, with nearly 150 people on board, killing three people.
The Caribbean Princess departed Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on April 28 with 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members on board. The ship had reported the outbreak to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program by May 7, after cases exceeded the 3% threshold for public notification.
According to the report, a total of 102 passengers and 13 crew members reported illness, bringing the case count to 115. The symptoms were vomiting and diarrhoea, which are consistent with norovirus.
The ship’s itinerary included stops at Princess Cays in the Bahamas, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Maarten, San Juan in Puerto Rico, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, and Nassau. It is scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral at 5:15 am on May 11.
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Gastrointestinal outbreak
Princess Cruises described the illnesses as “mild gastrointestinal illness” and said the cases occurred over the entire voyage, not all at once.
“We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitising throughout the voyage,” in a statement, the company said as quoted. “Upon arrival at Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage.”‘
Notably, the CDC said the number of cases does not mean all 115 people were sick at the same time. Many have already recovered.
The incident marks the ship’s second major gastrointestinal outbreak in six years. In 2020, more than 300 passengers became ill during an outbreak that cut a voyage short.
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What did passengers say?
Passenger Jan van Milligen opened up about the situation the ship. He told the outlet on Sunday, “The normal atmosphere is still here.”
“We went to a show last night, had dinner and breakfast this morning,” he added, further adding that the “cruise line made all precautions to stop the spread” and “they were very professional”. He also noted that the passengers were informed about the situation in a timely way.
What Is Norovirus?
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes acute gastroenteritis. Symptoms include sudden vomiting, watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, low-grade fever, headaches, and body aches. In such cases, the illness typically lasts 1-3 days, and most people recover without treatment.
The virus spreads easily in close quarters, like cruise ships, through contaminated food, water, surfaces, or direct contact with infected people. It can survive for extended periods on railings, elevator buttons, buffet utensils, and other high-touch areas. Tiny droplets from vomit can also aerosolise and infect others.
