Norovirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship With 3,000 People Onboard Leaves 175 Holiday Goers Sick

What was supposed to be a dream vacation for over 3,000 people on board a cruise ship turned into a nightmare of sorts after several people on board the vessel showed symptoms of a norovirus infection.

According to NBC News, over 170 people on board the ship named Crown Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, fell sick with symptoms of the dreaded norovirus infection. Of these, 158 people are passengers on board the ship, while 14 others are crew members. The Centers for Disease Control confirmed the outbreak of the norovirus infection aboard the ship on Sunday.

The ship, which was on course to reach Los Angeles on Saturday, had to be diverted to the port of Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands last week on Monday. This diversion, however, was not blamed on the norovirus infection. According to a statement issued by the company, the diversion was made because one of their crew members suffered from “an entirely separate and individual medical issue.”

The company also tendered an apology to its guests.

“We are sorry this incident has impacted our guests’ vacations and are grateful for their understanding given the circumstances.”

Several people on the ship were on board the vessel for nearly a month, after which they began to show symptoms of norovirus infection. Typical symptoms of norovirus include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, and body aches. Reportedly, 158 passengers and 14 crew experienced similar symptoms. At the time of the infection, there were an estimated 3,000 passengers on board the ship. This is apart from the total of 1,100 crew members on board the ship.

According to the CDC, the ship will be disinfected once it docks at San Pedro, California, on Sunday. Another set of passengers are due to board the ship on the same day for a seven-day cruise. At this stage, it is unclear if the norovirus outbreak would ruin their vacation plans. The CDC has said that they will notify these new passengers about the risk involved in continuing with their cruise on the Crown Princess.

The Inquisitr previously reported about similar norovirus infections. In fact, in April of this year, the same ship, the Crown Princess, was in the news after at least 66 passengers and 17 crew members were diagnosed with a norovirus infection. While norovirus infections seem to be common on cruise liners, there have been instances where it has affected other places as well.

[Image Via Wikimedia Commons]