Topline
More than 100 passengers and crew members on board a cruise ship that docked in San Francisco on Thursday were infected by a highly contagious stomach virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday, the latest such incident on board such a vessel just two months after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius.
The outbreak took place onboard the Ruby Princess, which docked in San Francisco on Thursday after a 20 day trip.
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Key Facts
In an update issued on Thursday, the CDC reported that the Ruby Princess—a cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises—is experiencing a norovirus outbreak.
According to the update, 102 of the ship’s 3,032 passengers and 23 of its 1,144 onboard crew had reported illnesses due to the virus.
The stomach virus is highly contagious and the CDC noted that the predominant symptoms among the infected on board were diarrhea and vomiting.
According to the CDC, the ship’s operator has “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures” as per its outbreak response plan and collected samples for testing.
Infected passengers and crew members were also isolated on board, but it’s unclear if anyone was still sick when the ship docked in San Francisco.
The ship was on a 20-day round trip from San Francisco to Canada and Alaska that began last month.
What Has Princess Cruises Said?
In a statement shared with local news outlets, Princess Cruises said, “Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship. Cases have since decreased and remain low.” The ship was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before departing for its next journey from San Francisco’s Pier 27.
What About Other Recent Norovirus Outbreaks On Cruise Ships?
In May, the British-flagged cruise ship Ambition also experienced a norovirus outbreak on board that infected dozens of people. The outbreak was reported when the ship docked in Bordeaux, France and French health authorities ordered everyone to remain on board the ship. Also in May, another Princess Cruises ship, the Caribbean Princess, witnessed a major stomach flu outbreak on board, infecting 145 passengers and 15 crew members.
Tangent
The deadliest and most high-profile cruise ship outbreak this year took place on board the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius in the South Atlantic, as the deadly Andes variant of the rat-borne hantavirus spread through the ship. A total of 13 people on board were infected by the virus, resulting in three deaths. The outbreak prompted an international response led by the World Health Organization, amid fears that it could trigger a large epidemic. The outbreak began in April and was brought to public attention in May as the ship moved through the Atlantic. All passengers were evacuated from the ship—in a process carefully monitored by global health officials—after it docked off the coast of the Canary Islands. On Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said no new cases of hantavirus linked to the cruise ship outbreak have been reported since May 25, and the outbreak is officially over.
further reading
Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak Officially Over After 13 Infected, 3 Dead (Forbes)
Another Cruise Is Hit With A Sickness Outbreak—But It’s Not Hantavirus (Forbes)
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