Over 120 passengers and crew members fell ill after a norovirus outbreak on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship, as per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The outbreak affected 102 of the ship's 3,032 passengers and 23 of its 1,144 crew members during a 20-day round-trip voyage from San Francisco to Canada and Alaska. The cruise went away on June 12 and returned to San Francisco on Thursday.
What is Norovirus?
The illness has been caused by the norovirus, a highly contagious virus, which rapidly spreads via contaminated water, food, surfaces, and close contact with infected people.
Norovirus symptoms
Norovirus causes a common condition, gastrointestinal sickness such as diarrhoea and vomiting.
Notably, most of the infected individuals usually recover, but the virus can pose a significant risk to older adults, young children, and people with underlying health conditions.
The outbreak was reported to the CDC on Saturday. As per health officials, not everyone can start experiencing illness immediately after contracting the virus, but some infected passengers and crew had already recovered by the time the ship reached San Francisco.
In response, Princess Cruises implemented improved sanitation measures, aiming to stop its further spread.
Increased cleaning and disinfection across the vessel, isolated infected passengers and crew, and collected samples for laboratory testing.
The company said the number of new cases had declined and the ship was thoroughly cleaned before departing on its next voyage.
The CDC stated that is the seventh cruise ship illness outbreak reported within its jurisdiction this year, with most associated with norovirus.
Another Princess Cruises vessel, the Caribbean Princess, faced a similar outbreak in May, infecting 145 passengers and 15 crew members, while the British-flagged Ambition also reported dozens of cases.
As per health officials, frequent handwashing with soap and water for nearly 20 seconds, particularly after using the bathroom and before eating, as alcohol-based hand sanitisers are less effective against norovirus.
Passengers facing symptoms should report them immediately to onboard medical staff to assist in preventing its further spread.
