More than 200 luxury cruise ship passengers contracted norovirus on a monthlong transatlantic voyage.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) reported the disease outbreak while on board the Cunard cruise line ship Queen Mary 2, along with 17 crew members.
Queen Mary 2 left Southampton in the U.K. on March 8 on a route which initially delivered it to New York, and, then, down through the Caribbean.
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The cruise is scheduled to return to Southampton on April 6.
All the passengers who contracted norovirus on the Queen Mary 2 experienced several symptoms, including diarrhoea and vomiting.
The CDC stated that the crew of Queen Mary 2 worked to contain the virus spread by increasing disinfection and cleaning procedures, performing tests to confirm cases of the disease and isolating ill individuals on the cruise.
The latest outbreak follows a significant rise in confirmed cases across the U.S. towards the end of 2024.
Norovirus is a highly contagious disease, also known as stomach bug, which often causes symptoms for up to one to three days.
Health officials said that affected patients can still transmit the virus to others for two weeks or longer after clearing up all the symptoms.
