Nearly 90 people suffering from norovirus outbreaks in Holland America Line Cruise Ship – Markings Third The miserable stomach virus cleaned the ocean liner this year, health officials said.
Of the 2,057 passengers on the Eurodam, 79 reported getting sick from a horrific winter illness during a 10-day voyage from Florida to the Western Caribbean, but nine of the 834 crew were also affected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest report shows the eighth gastrointestinal disease outbreak on cruise ships in the first two months of the year, Healthy Agency said.
Norovirus was linked to the previous four cases. Two of them rocked passengers on a Dutch American ship.
“During the current voyage, many guests at Eurodam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal disease,” a Dutch-US spokesman told the post.
“The cases were mostly mild and resolved quickly. We launched enhanced hygiene protocols in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US to minimize further transmission, including ongoing disinfection of the vessel.”
The infected group experienced diarrhea and vomiting on a 935-foot-long vessel departing from Fort Lauderdale on February 19, the CDC reported.
Cruise Liners collected stool samples from those affected for further testing, including increased cleaning and disinfection measures to isolate sick passengers and workers and contain the outbreak.
The 17-year-old ship is scheduled to return to Florida on Saturday following planned stops in the Dominican Republic, the Dutch Antilles, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos. According to Cruisemapper.
A highly contagious disease often associated with cruise ships was first reported to the CDC's Ship Sanitation Program on February 23rd.
This is the second outbreak of norovirus this month attacking a Dutch American cruise ship.
The surge in infections comes about three weeks after 166 passengers and 19 crew members were suffering from norovirus symptoms on Dutch America's Rotterdam.
Cruise Line's Volendam ship also reported that 104 people (93 vacationers and 11 staff) had been diagnosed with the virus during the three-week voyage in January. According to the health agency.
