Norovirus outbreak on Florida-bound cruise ship sickens 115 passengers and crew – UK Times

More than 100 passengers and over a dozen crew members have fallen ill with norovirus aboard the Caribbean Princess during a 13-day voyage through the Eastern Caribbean.

The Princess Cruises ship departed Port Everglades, Florida, last week and is scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral in the state Monday. At the time of the outbreak, the vessel was carrying 3,116 passengers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 102 passengers became sick with the highly contagious stomach virus. In addition, 13 of the 1,131 crew members onboard also reported illness.

Those affected experienced typical norovirus symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea, according to health officials. The virus is known for spreading rapidly in close-contact environments such as cruise ships, where shared dining spaces and frequently touched surfaces can make containment difficult once an outbreak begins.

Most people who contract norovirus begin showing symptoms within 12-48 hours of exposure, which can speed the spread of outbreaks in confined settings, health officials say.

Cruise lines are required to report outbreaks when illness reaches a certain threshold among passengers or crew, allowing health officials to provide guidance on sanitation, isolation procedures and testing.

The outbreak was reported while the ship was still at sea, prompting monitoring and a coordinated response with the cruise line. Princess Cruises has since stepped up cleaning efforts across the ship and isolated sick passengers and crew members to help limit further spread, according to the CDC.

“We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage. Upon arrive to Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage,” a cruise line spokesperson told the New York Post.

The Independent has contacted Princess Cruises for comment.

The norovirus outbreak comes as 17 American passengers from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak are set to be quarantined in Nebraska after returning to the U.S., health officials said.

The group is expected to fly back from Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, where the MV Hondius vessel is scheduled to arrive Sunday. The State Department is arranging their return, with CDC officials meeting them overseas.

Once in Nebraska, they will be monitored daily at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit. Officials said all are currently healthy and asymptomatic, but anyone who becomes sick would be moved to a higher-level biocontainment unit.