About 200 people on two cruise ships became sickened with norovirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The CDC is monitoring both cruise ship outbreaks remotely.
“In response to the outbreak, Princess Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions: Collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testing,” the CDC said, adding that it also “isolated ill passengers and crew” and “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan.”
Princess Cruises issued a statement, saying that “there have been a small number of cases of mild gastrointestinal illness among passengers, the cause likely is the common but contagious virus called norovirus.
So far in 2024, there have been six outbreaks of either norovirus or “unknown” illnesses on cruise ships, according to the CDC.
One outbreak saw about 150 people get sick on Cunard Cruise Line’s Queen Victoria, while another 104 infections were reported on a Holland American Line ship. The cause of the Cunard outbreak was also “unknown” and included symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.
In January, a norovirus outbreak sickened about 100 people on a Celebrity Cruises ship. Their symptoms included vomiting and diarrhea, the CDC said.
“Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with Norovirus,” the CDC says on its website.
“Norovirus is sometimes called the ’stomach flu‘ or ’stomach bug.’ However, norovirus illness is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza virus.”
In a normal year, according to the CDC, norovirus causes between 19 million and 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 900 deaths across the United States.
The virus is associated with about 495,000 emergency department visits, mostly in younger children.
Characterized by the sudden onset of vomiting, diarrhea, and general feelings of misery, norovirus outbreaks are notorious on cruise ships, nursing homes, jails, schools, and other places where people are in close contact.
“These outbreaks often get media attention, which is why some people call norovirus the ‘cruise ship virus,’” the CDC says.
“However, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage … of all reported norovirus outbreaks. Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers.”
Norovirus can spread from person to person, in food or water, or on contaminated surfaces. Because it’s so contagious, one handshake or the touch of a contaminated door knob or handrail can be enough to cause illness, officials say.
