Norovirus Outbreak Sickens 115 on Cruise Ship

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More than 100 people have been sickened in a norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday.

Those sickened, who include 102 passengers and 13 crew members, have been isolated from uninfected travelers, the agency said.

The norovirus, which is fairly common and causes gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting, 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 the norovirus cases, the Caribbean Princess, left Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 28 and is expected to arrive in Florida 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.

A total of 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members are on the ship, according to the C.D.C.

“We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage,” the cruise line said. The Caribbean Princess will be fully cleaned and disinfected before its next voyage, according to Princess Cruises. It did not say what might have caused the outbreak.

Noroviruses are highly contagious — spreading easily through contaminated food, water and surfaces — and the most common cause of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the C.D.C.

In March, nearly 200 people were sickened on board the Star Princess, another Princess Cruises ship. Last year, more than 2,200 people were sickened in 18 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, according to C.D.C. figures.

The agency, however, pointed out that norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only 1 percent of reports of such outbreaks. There are roughly 2,500 norovirus outbreaks each year in the United States, the C.D.C. said.

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