NEWS: THREE Cruise Ships Had Norovirus Outbreaks in One Week

If you’re going on a cruise soon, you might want to pay attention and take some extra health precautions.

©Holland America

If you’ve been following the news, you may be aware that several cruise ships have recently been struck by viral outbreaks, most notably norovirus. Many cruise lines have been affected by outbreaks, including Cunard and Holland America. Well, in the last week alone, three more cruise ships had gastrointestinal outbreaks as reported by the CDC.

Holland America has been hit with another norovirus outbreak, this time on the cruise ship Eurodam for voyage dates from April 12th through May 3rd. Over 140 passengers of 2,038 total reported being ill on the cruise, while 22 of the ship’s 830 crew members also reported illnesses.

©Holland America

Another Holland America ship was also hit with norovirus this week, the Zuiderdam, which set sail from January 2nd to May 9th. On that ship, 55 of 1,149 passengers reported illnesses, while 14 of the 751 crew members working on the ship reported illnesses.

©Holland America

A third ship also reported a norovirus outbreak. The Lindblad Expeditions ship National Geographic Sea Lion had an outbreak during a voyage from April 15th through April 29th. During that cruise, 5 of 43 passengers fell ill with norovirus, while 2 of 37 crew members reported illnesses.

©Lindblad Expeditions

So what’s going on with all these norovirus outbreaks? According to USA Today, CDC data shows a new dominant strain of norovirus that is associated with the recent outbreaks on land, as well as at sea. However, cruise ships also may be relying too heavily on hand sanitizer, which is not as effective against norovirus as washing hands with soap and water.

If you will be going on a cruise soon, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water as often as possible. If you do develop systems, you’ll want to isolate yourself from other passengers and clean your space with disinfectant. All cruise ship illnesses should also be reported to the ship’s medical staff, and follow their instructions.

Stay tuned to DFB for more.