WASHINGTON — More than 90 people onboard a Holland America cruise ship have experienced gastrointestinal illnesses due to a norovirus outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.
The Rotterdam ship, which began its voyage on Dec. 28 and ended its sailing on Jan. 9, reported 85 passengers with illnesses on board. The ship had a total of 2,593 passengers onboard during its sailing, the CDC said.
Nine crew members were also sickened by the norovirus outbreak. The CDC said the most significant symptoms among the 94 people sickened were vomiting and diarrhea.
Holland America Line reported the norovirus outbreak to the health agency on Jan. 8. In response to the outbreak, the cruise line and the crew onboard have increased cleaning and disinfection procedures as per their outbreak prevention and response plan, the CDC said on Monday.
In addition, stool samples from individuals experiencing gastrointestinal illnesses were collected for testing. Passengers and crew who were ill were also isolated.
What is norovirus?
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily through contaminated food, surfaces or close contact with infected individuals. According to the CDC, symptoms usually begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure and include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. Some cases may also involve fever, headache or body aches.
Cruise lines are required to report gastrointestinal illness cases to the CDC when the number of cases reaches 2% of the total number of passengers or crew. In this case, the number of illnesses was 3.3% of the total number of passengers.
More than 80 passengers sickened on Holland America cruise ship, CDC says
