‘Norovirus’: Hundreds of people aboard a cruise ship that departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last month have recently fallen ill with the contagious virus.
A new virus quickly gained attention after a viral outbreak infected about 120 of the 3,000 people on board the plane.
According to Cruise Mapper, the Princess Cruises ship, named Caribbean Princess, departed from Port Everglades for an 11-day voyage.
The novel coronavirus outbreak was reported Thursday during the ship’s April 28 to May 11 voyage through the Caribbean, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
As of Saturday afternoon, the ship was north of the Dominican Republic en route to Nassau in the Bahamas, according to CruiseMapper.
The highly contagious disease, also known as the winter vomiting bug, has affected 102 of the ship’s 3,116 passengers and 13 crew, multiple media outlets reported.
Princess Cruises said a “limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness” during the voyage from Port Everglades in Florida.
“We immediately disinfected every area of the ship and added additional sanitization throughout the voyage,” the company 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.”
The cruise line said it had implemented enhanced sanitation procedures, while the CDC said sick passengers and crew members were isolated and stool samples were collected for testing.
What is ‘Norovirus’?
Norovirus is a common and highly contagious virus that causes inflammation in the stomach and intestines, a condition called gastroenteritis.
How does ‘Norovirus’ spread?
The disease often begins suddenly. Anyone can become infected and sick with norovirus and may contract the disease more than once in their lifetime.
People can get norovirus from touching an infected person, contaminated food or water, or contaminated surfaces.
Vomiting and diarrhea were the main symptoms among those who fell ill on the ship and are also the most common effects of norovirus.
Additionally, people infected with norovirus are contagious from the moment they feel sick until at least 3 days after they recover. Some people may remain infectious for up to 2 weeks after recovery.
Notably, this is the second norovirus outbreak on a Princess Cruises ship in 2026 and the fourth gastrointestinal outbreak reported to the CDC this year.
Additionally, the news comes at a time of already heightened concern about illness aboard ships, with a separate and unrelated hantavirus outbreak currently being monitored aboard the MV Hondius.
