Greater than 100 passengers and crew members fell sick throughout a norovirus outbreak on the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC mentioned that 102 passengers and 13 crew members reported changing into ailing throughout the voyage, which befell from April 28 to Could 11.
In response to the norovirus outbreak, Princess Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported elevated cleansing and disinfection procedures in keeping with its outbreak prevention and response plan and remoted ailing passengers and crew, the company mentioned.
How you can handle signs of the extremely infectious Norovirus
The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which helps the cruise ship business forestall and management the introduction and unfold of gastrointestinal diseases on ships, is conducting a subject response for an environmental evaluation and outbreak investigation to help the ship in controlling the unfold.
Norovirus is very contagious and thrives in locations the place folks collect in shut quarters, making cruise ships inclined to outbreaks. There have been two norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships up to now this yr, the CDC reviews.
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Based on the CDC, norovirus could be contracted from an contaminated individual, contaminated meals or water or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes irritation of the abdomen or intestines, which results in abdomen ache, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
Norovirus sickness could be critical, particularly for younger youngsters and older adults, however it’s completely different from the hantavirus, which not too long ago sickened passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Hantavirus normally spreads by inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and, in uncommon instances, could be transmitted from individual to individual, in keeping with the World Well being Group. Signs normally present between one and eight weeks after publicity.
A complete of three,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members are on the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, the CDC reviews. The vessel left Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 28 and is predicted to reach in Florida on Monday.
“Princess Cruises can verify {that a} restricted variety of people reported gentle gastrointestinal sickness throughout the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades,” Princess Cruises mentioned in an announcement to International Information.
“Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols throughout the ship, and instances have since decreased and stay low,” the cruise line added. “Caribbean Princess arrived in Port Canaveral the morning of Could 11, as scheduled, and is present process complete cleansing and disinfection previous to departing within the afternoon for her subsequent voyage, as scheduled.
Instances of norovirus on the rise, Public Well being Company of Canada says
The outbreak on the Caribbean Princess comes greater than a month after one other norovirus outbreak was reported on the cruise line’s Star Princess ship.
In March, the CDC reported that 141 passengers and 52 crew members reported changing into ailing with norovirus on the Star Princess cruise ship. The ship left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and made stops within the Caribbean, Honduras, Belize and the Mexican Riviera.
Final April, 240 folks had fallen sick on the Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 following a norovirus outbreak.
The CDC mentioned in an outbreak report that 224 of the ship’s 2,538 passengers had fallen ailing from the virus, in addition to a further 17 workers members.
The vessel departed Southampton within the U.Ok. on March 8, 2025, for a virtually month-long cruise to New York after which by way of the Caribbean, making varied stops alongside the island chain. It was due again in Southampton on April 6, 2025.
Based on the CDC, passengers skilled vomiting and diarrhea throughout the outbreak. The well being company mentioned Cunard had stepped up its cleansing and disinfection protocols, and that sick passengers and crew have been being quarantined.
— with recordsdata from International Information
© 2026 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
