Passengers on a cruise ship stranded off Bordeaux have described grim scenes of sickness, with reports of guests vomiting in public areas following a norovirus outbreak. French authorities on Wednesday confined more than 1,700 passengers and crew, including hundreds of Brits, on the Ambition, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line.
Details of the Outbreak
The ship, which left the Shetland Islands on May 6, stopped in Belfast, Liverpool and Brest in France before reaching Bordeaux, from where it was scheduled to depart for Spain. Guests have described harrowing scenes from the ongoing outbreak, with one woman telling the BBC she saw one person get sick on the deck and another on a bus. Another passenger told the outlet that he had witnessed crew cleaning up vomit on the ship.
Company Response
Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed the outbreak in a statement on social media on Wednesday, adding that they 'take any illnesses onboard our ships extremely seriously'. The firm added: 'Enhanced sanitation and prevention protocols were immediately implemented across the ship in line with established public health procedures following the initial reports of illness. The comprehensive health and safety measures introduced onboard include increased cleaning and disinfection measures in public areas, assisted service in selected dining venues and ongoing guidance to guests regarding hand hygiene.'
Complaints flooded the company's post regarding fellow travelers' poor hygiene, with one guest on board noting: 'Some passengers need a lesson in hygiene. One lady coughing in the dining room with no hand over her mouth. Disgusting.' Another added: 'The crew try their best to keep the ships public areas clean.. some of the passengers on the other hand just don't seem to care.' Others echoed praise for crew members, with one person writing: 'We've been looked after really well, staff doing their very best, room service and plenty water provided, non stop cleaning.'
Medical Response
At 2am on Wednesday, a university hospital team was airlifted to the vessel at the port entrance to review patient records with the onboard staff. A second university team boarded at 5am to collect samples for analysis. In an update on Wednesday evening, French health authorities said results of samples taken confirmed the outbreak of norovirus. Passengers without symptoms will now be allowed to leave the ship, authorities said, adding that isolation guidelines will continue for those affected, 'along with reinforced preventative measures and hygiene protocols on board'. Meanwhile, the cruise line confirmed: 'Ambition has now been released by the relevant French health authorities to continue normal operations.'
Norovirus and Related Incidents
Norovirus is a form of gastroenteritis, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea and is highly contagious. Authorities and the cruise firm said yesterday that one British passenger died on May 10 aboard the ship. The 92-year-old passenger died of cardiac arrest, according to local media. While norovirus is not currently linked to the passenger’s death, medical journals note it can cause heart failure in elderly patients. It comes as the global community is currently dealing with a hantavirus outbreak linked to the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, where three people have died and nine cases have been confirmed in total.
It was revealed on Wednesday that a British tourist who boarded a plane with a woman who later died from hantavirus had been detained at an Italian bar and ordered to quarantine in hospital for a month - despite showing no symptoms and testing negative for the disease. The holidaymaker and his companion - who was not even on the flight in question - were apprehended outside the bar on Tuesday night and taken to Sacco Hospital in Milan by the authorities. They have both been placed in quarantine until June 6, completing the 42-day isolation period required by the ministry of health. The British citizen, who is in his 60s, had boarded the same Airlink flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg as MV Hondius passenger Mirjam Schilperoord, 69, who later died, as well as a second person who later tested positive. Mirjam was the wife of Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, 70, who is believed to be 'patient zero'. The couple became sick after visiting a landfill site in Argentina to watch birds. The UK Government notified Italian authorities about the British tourist, who had visited various places including Amsterdam before arriving in Milan, where his travel plans came to an abrupt halt. Because he had no private accommodation and was staying in a B&B, he will have to endure the whole of his quarantine in a single room in the Infectious Diseases ward of the hospital.
It comes as 10 Britons from South Atlantic islands linked to the cruise ship outbreak are set to be brought to the UK in case they develop the illness, officials have revealed. The group, who are residents of the UK overseas territories of Saint Helena and Ascension Island, are being flown to Britain to complete their self-isolation. All those involved are British and are understood to include people who left the cruise ship in Saint Helena, plus medical staff who have been in contact with them. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the total included four individuals in Saint Helena who were on the cruise ship and six close contacts on Ascension Island. None are symptomatic and their final destination in Britain is unknown, but the move was described as 'precautionary to support communities in UK overseas territories'. Once in Britain they will get access to NHS infectious disease specialists should they become ill, and the UKHSA said it will 'set out where they will isolate in due course'.
It comes as 20 British nationals from the MV Hondius, together with a German who is a UK resident, and a Japanese passenger, who have been isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral in Merseyside prepare to leave the facility. They were taken there on Sunday night after the ship docked in Tenerife for a three-day isolation and assessment period. They will isolate for another 42 days at home. The UKHSA said of this group: 'Public health and clinical specialists have assessed each passenger's individual circumstances, and, where it is safe and possible, tailored support packages will be provided to enable people to isolate at home. Health protection teams across the UK will continue to monitor and support everyone after they leave the facility, with daily contact throughout the isolation period to ensure they can isolate safely.' The statement also said a 'small number of individuals who have been isolating at home or elsewhere in England' will also be assessed at the hospital.
