More than 100 passengers have been struck down by suspected norovirus on a cruise ship, health officials said. A total of 102 passengers aboard Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess reported being ill, along with 23 crew members, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement. The cruise line announced on Wednesday (July 1) that those affected were placed in isolation and that other measures were implemented to control the spread of the "very contagious" stomach bug.
Symptoms and Response
Most of the people who became sick said their main symptoms were diarrhoea and vomiting. Norovirus is known for spreading in close-contact environments like cruise ships, where shared dining spaces and frequently touched surfaces make containment difficult following an outbreak.
On norovirus, the US health agency writes: "If you get norovirus illness, you can shed billions of norovirus particles that you can’t see without a microscope. It only takes a few norovirus particles to make you and other people sick."
Itinerary and Cleaning Protocols
The 20-day cruise sailed across parts of Alaska and Canada before returning to San Francisco on Thursday (July 2), as scheduled. Despite the outbreak, the ship stuck to its schedule and docked in a major city.
Princess said in a statement to The Independent that "a limited number of guests reported mild gastrointestinal illness" while aboard the ship. "Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship, and cases have since decreased and remain low," Princess said, adding that after arriving at its destination, the ship "will be undergoing comprehensive cleaning and disinfection" before its next voyage.
Previous Outbreaks and Ship Details
According to the CDC, there have been seven gastrointestinal outbreaks this year meeting the threshold for public notice. Two were caused by E. coli and five by norovirus. Two of the prior norovirus outbreaks occurred on Princess Cruises ships - the Caribbean Princess and Star Princess.
Built in 2008 in Italy, the Ruby Princess is a 113,561-ton Crown-class cruise ship, featuring 19 decks and able to accommodate up to 3,080 guests, supported by 1,200 crew members. Registered in Bermuda, it is 951 feet long and can travel at a maximum speed of 22 knots (25mph). It boasts three main dining rooms - Botticelli, Michelangelo and Da Vinci.
Comparison with Hantavirus Outbreak
The norovirus outbreak comes just months after the hantavirus outbreak aboard M/V Hondius. Traced to a passenger who likely contracted it during birdwatching in South America, the cluster resulted in 13 cases and three deaths. The outbreak is now fully contained and no longer poses a public health risk.
