CDC investigates gastrointestinal diseases on luxury cruise ship
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak on a luxury cruise ship after more than 150 people reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea and vomiting.
The ship, the Queen Victoria, operated by Cunard Line, departed Southampton, England, on January 11 on a 107-night cruise with recent stops in Florida and San Francisco. according to the company's website. The ship arrives in Honolulu on Monday.
The CDC said there are 129 passengers as of Thursday and 25 crew members had reported being ill on the ship. According to the agency, there were 1,824 passengers and 967 crew members on board at the time of the outbreak.
The cause of the illnesses was unknown, the agency said.
In a statement, Southampton-based Cunard Line said “a number of guests reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness” on the ship, which arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday after stops in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Aruba.
The cruise line “immediately activated their enhanced health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of all guests and crew on board and these measures were effective,” the company said.
In response to the outbreak, the crew of the Queen Victoria has “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures” and “isolated sick passengers and crew,” the CDC said.
The agency said it was monitoring the situation remotely, including “assessing the ship's outbreak response and sanitary procedures.”
The ship left San Francisco for Honolulu on Wednesday and sailed off the west coast of the United States on Thursday. according to the ship tracking website Cruise Mapper.
After arriving in Hawaii on Monday, the ship will stop in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, among others.
Although intestinal diseases can spread quickly on cruise ships, outbreaks are rare. According to the CDC
One high-profile outbreak occurred in 2014, when 595 passengers and 50 crew aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas fell ill with bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, forcing the ship to return early to New Jersey.
Acute gastrointestinal illnesses, including highly contagious norovirus, are associated with cruise ships because the close proximity of passengers and crew increases the amount of group contact, the agency said.
People who become infected when they board the ship can spread viruses to other passengers and crew members.
Public health officials monitor illnesses on cruise ships so that “outbreaks are discovered and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land,” according to the CDC.