More than 100 people on board the Caribbean Princess have been sickened in a norovirus outbreak
More than 100 people on a cruise ship have been sickened in a norovirus outbreak.
Those unwell, including 102 passengers and 13 crew members, have been isolated from uninfected passengers on board the Caribbean Princess, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The cruise ship, operated by Princess Cruises, set off from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 28 and is expected to return on Monday. The ship is currently off the north coast of the Dominican Republic and is expected to stop Sunday in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, CruiseMapper shows.
“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.
“We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage.”
The Caribbean Princess will be fully cleaned and disinfected before its next voyage, according to Princess Cruises. It did not state what might have caused the outbreak.
A total of 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members are on the ship, according to the CDC..
Norovirus, also called the winter vomiting bug, is a highly contagious stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea, the NHS says. While unpleasant, symptoms usually imrpove in about two days.
It comes as more than 140 passengers and crew members are on board a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands.
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is expected to reach the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of West Africa, early on Sunday. At least three passengers have died, and several other people have been infected.
Hantavirus is usually spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. The World Health Organization says the risk to the wider public from the outbreak is low.
