More than 230 sick after Norovirus outbreak on luxury cruise ship
A norovirus outbreak has affected over 230 passengers and crew during a 29-day luxury cruise from England to the Eastern Caribbean, as reported by the US health agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the CDC, 224 of 2,538 passengers and 17 crew members contracted the illness. The affected individuals were isolated, and the ship implemented sanitisation protocols, reports the New York Times.
The Cunard Lines‘ flagship Queen Mary 2 departed Southampton, England, on March 8, as per Cruise Mapper. The CDC reported an outbreak on March 18 after the ship’s New York City stop, with passengers and crew experiencing diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms.
The vessel’s itinerary included stops at St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, Dominica, St. Kitts and Tortola. As of Tuesday, the cruise was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, heading back to Southampton with an expected arrival on April 6, according to Cruise Mapper.
Cunard issued a statement on Tuesday confirming enhanced monitoring of guests and thorough ship cleaning. “Thanks to the swift response from our crew and the additional measures that we have in place, we are already seeing a reduction in reported cases,” the statement noted.
The 1,132-foot vessel, which launched in 2004, ranks among the world’s largest ocean liners. In 2013, a NYT reporter documented a voyage delay caused by a “near-military-level” sanitisation operation following a norovirus outbreak that affected over 200 people.
Norovirus is a gastrointestinal illness that flourishes in enclosed spaces like healthcare facilities, dormitories, and cruise ships where people live in close proximity. It affects up to 21 million Americans annually, according to the CDC. It spreads through direct contact or contaminated food and water. No specific treatment exists, but most people recover within days.
Ships must report outbreaks to the CDC, with figures representing total cases throughout the voyage rather than simultaneous infections.
