Norovirus outbreak on Caribbean Princess cruise ship sickens over 100 guests

The company has increased cleaning and disinfection on the vessel carrying more than 4,000 people to the Bahamas

More than 100 people aboard a cruise ship that departed from Fort Lauderdale in Florida last month have fallen ill from norovirus, according to the US Centres for Disease Control.

The Caribbean Princess, a Princess Cruises ship, departed from Port Everglades on April 28 for an 11-day voyage, according to Cruise Mapper.

But on Thursday, the CDC announced that 102 passengers and 13 crew members were sick and had been isolated. There are more than 4,000 people on board, according to the CDC.

The predominant symptoms are diarrhoea and vomiting, according to the CDC.

The cruise ship is on the way to the Bahamas and expected to arrive there on Sunday before its final destination in Port Canaveral, east of Orlando, on Monday.

Princess Cruises has increased cleaning and disinfection, collected stool samples for testing and consulted the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Programme, according to the CDC.