Norovirus outbreak on Princess cruise ship infects over 115, US CDC says

More than 100 people have been affected by the norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the news on Thursday, while health authorities around the world are already reeling from the Hantavirus spread on a different cruise.

According to the CDC in the United States, 102 passengers and 13 crew members were sickened by the norovirus on the cruise. They are now being kept isolated from uninfected travellers to prevent the spread. It is pertient to note that the norovirus is a fairly common disease that causes gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhoea and vomiting.

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It is different from the Hantavirus, which is rare and much more dangerous, and recently sickened passengers on the cruise ship MV Hondius. The cruise ship with over 100 norovirus cases is the Caribbean Princess, which left Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 28 and is expected to arrive in Florida on Monday.

According to The New York Times, the ship is currently off the north coast of the Dominican Republic and is expected to stop on Sunday in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. “Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades,” Princess Cruises said in a statement on Friday.

Authorities remain alert

According to the CDC, the cruise comprises a total of 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members. “We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitising throughout the voyage,” the cruise line said. Apart from this, the Caribbean Princess will be fully cleaned and disinfected before it begins its next voyage. However, it remains unclear what exactly might have caused the outbreak.

It is important to note that Noroviruses are highly contagious and spread easily through contaminated food, water and surfaces. The CDC calls it the most common outbreak of diarrheal disease on a cruise ship.

In March this year, 200 people were infected by the disease while they were on board the Star Princess, another Princess Cruises ship. Not only this, but last year, more than 2,200 people were sickened in 18 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, CDC figures show.

However, the agency pointed out that norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only 1 per cent of reports of such outbreaks. There are roughly 2,500 norovirus outbreaks each year in the United States, the CDC said.