more than a hundred people caribbean princess have come down with norovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ship is on a two-week voyage and arrived in Florida today. It is the fourth such outbreak of cruise-related gastrointestinal illness this year.
cruise outbreak
Norovirus has been reported to be the leading cause of foodborne epidemics in the world, typically causing diarrhea and vomiting for several days. In the US, it sickens about 20 million people a year, while sending 100,000 to the hospital each year. Although noroviruses can be found everywhere, the cramped environments and widely shared meals found on cruise ships can make them the source of large-scale outbreaks.
The CDC was notified of this latest outbreak late last week. As of May 7, 115 cases of norovirus have been reported among passengers and crew. caribbean princess. The ship departed Florida on April 28 for a two-week voyage around the Caribbean and returned to Florida this morning, Florida Today reports.
According to Princess Cruises, the ship’s crew took additional steps to prevent the spread of the outbreak, including isolating sick passengers and crew as well as enhancing decontamination procedures.
“We immediately disinfected every area of the ship and added additional sanitation throughout the voyage,” the cruise line said in a statement. “Upon arriving at Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo extensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage.”
Norovirus on the rise?
This outbreak is not at all linked to the spread of hantavirus on MV Hondius. But this further underlines that these ships can be carriers of various diseases.
Although 2026 has been relatively quiet so far, there were 23 cases of gastrointestinal illness reported on cruise ships in U.S. waters last year, well above the normal trend. Most of these outbreaks were of norovirus. The past two years have seen a relative increase in norovirus outbreaks across the country, possibly aided by the emergence of a new variant of the virus.
So while this latest outbreak isn’t terribly common, it may be more prudent than ever to practice good hygiene, especially if you’re thinking of taking a cruise vacation in the near future.
For example, you should always wash fruits and vegetables and cook your shellfish thoroughly. You should also clean your kitchen utensils, cutting boards and surfaces, especially after preparing shellfish. And you should wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw food, because norovirus and other food-borne germs can be spread by your hands later unknowingly touching your mouth.
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