Cruise Chaos: What Struck Over 100 Passengers on This Ship?
A cruise ship is on lockdown in San Francisco after an outbreak of norovirus affecting more than 100 passengers and 20 crew.
The Ruby Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, was on a 20-day round-trip Alaskan voyage when the horrific bug struck 125 people on board. The trip also included a stop in British Columbia, Canada.
The CDC said 3.4% of the passengers and 2% of the ship’s crew reported being ill during the June 12 to July 2 trip. Most symptoms included diarrhea and vomiting.
The company says the vessel implemented enhanced sanitation protocols and that cases have decreased since then.
“Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of guests reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the 20-day June 12 Ruby Princess voyage from San Francisco,” the company said in a statement. “Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship, and cases have since decreased and remain low.”
Other measures taken by the company included isolating passengers and crew, collecting stool samples to test, and contacting the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, the agency said.
Officials say the ship is undergoing “comprehensive cleaning and disinfection prior to departing in the afternoon for her next voyage.”
Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. The disease accounted for 17 out of the 23 CDC-reported cruise ship outbreaks last year.
The Ruby Princess outbreak comes a little over a month after a norovirus outbreak slammed another Princess Cruises ship. A norovirus outbreak aboard the Caribbean Princess sickened over 100 passengers and more than a dozen crew members during its 14-day voyage through the Eastern Caribbean.
The ship can carry 3,080 guests and 1,200 crew across its 19 decks, according to the cruise line. The ship is 951 feet long with more than 1,500 guest staterooms.
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