2 days Ago By Jack Phillips
Hundreds of people on cruise ships were sickened with stomach illnesses in the past month in five separate incidents, according to an update provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the five December outbreaks reported to the CDC, 781 passengers and 109 crew members were sickened as of Dec. 31. Norovirus, a contagious virus that causes stomach illnesses with symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, caused all five of those outbreaks.
Predominant symptoms in all five outbreaks included diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC. Abdominal cramps were also reported in both Queen Mary 2 outbreaks. The CDC reported there were 16 outbreaks of stomach illnesses on cruise ships in all of 2024.
In 13 of the outbreaks, norovirus was determined to be a causative agent, while E.coli and salmonella were reported in one instance each. One outbreak’s cause was marked as “unknown” by the CDC.
The CDC says that it posts details about outbreaks on cruise ship sailings involving U.S. and foreign ports or when at least 3 percent of passengers and crew members have symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, or “other outbreaks of public health significance.
” “Norovirus is often a cause of [gastrointestinal] outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don’t always know the cause of the outbreak when we begin an investigation,” the agency says. “Finding the agent that caused an outbreak (causative agent) can take time.” Numbers from the past few years show a maximum of 65 outbreaks reported during that first week of December.
There are about 2,500 norovirus outbreaks reported annually in the United States. The outbreaks can occur throughout the year but are most common from November to April. Norovirus causes an average of 900 deaths and 109,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States, mostly among adults aged 65 and older, officials say.
It also leads to 465,000 emergency department visits, mostly involving young children. If there is a new strain of the virus, there can be upward of 50 percent more norovirus illness. the agency said.
Norovirus outbreaks often occur in health care facilities, long-term care facilities, restaurants, child care centers, schools, and cruise ships. Noting the association between norovirus outbreaks and cruise ships, the CDC says that more than 90 percent of “outbreaks of diarrheal disease on cruise ships” are caused by the virus. But norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships amount to “only a small percentage (1 percent) of all reported norovirus outbreaks,” the agency says.
“Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers.” While most people recover without treatment, some people—such as older adults or young children—have to seek medical attention due to dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea, it says..
