Hundreds of vacationers
sailing aboard a
P&O
Cruises ship
have fallen ill with suspected norovirus. Suffering from what’s
been referred to a “vomiting bug”, reports indicate that over 150 guests are
currently in isolation on board the MV Ventura, which departed from Southampton,
England
on May 11 for a 14-night voyage around the Canary
Islands, with stops in Spain and
Portugal.
An unnamed source
told Metro
that, in the last four days alone, around 250 suspected cases of the illness
have emerged, with passengers reportedly "throwing up in public
spaces" throughout the ship. Another unidentified
source revealed, "This is a serious outbreak. We don't know where it came
from, it has been on board for a month, maybe 5-6 weeks now, and each cruise we
think it has gone, but more and more people get sick."
While they did not
delve into specifics, a P&O spokesperson did confirm to Business
Insider that numerous passengers had reported "gastrointestinal
symptoms" on board. They stated that, "upon embarkation, all guests
were provided with an advisory notice with precautionary health measures for on
board and on shore."
Regarding the current
outbreak, P&O told the Mirror that it had activated a phased and prove
approach that is “appropriate to the specific scenario”. A spokesperson said
that the cruise line had "implemented proven and enhanced sanitisation
protocols" and that a “further extended and enhanced sanitisation took
place in Tenerife" while the ship was docked on Friday.
Although norovirus
has not been confirmed as the cause of the contagion, it is a likely culprit for
the spread of such symptoms aboard cruise ships. Also called the “vomiting bug”,
it’s a highly transmissible virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, which can
spread through close contact with an infected person, touching your mouth after
contact with contaminated surfaces or consuming contaminated food.
In close quarters,
like those aboard a cruise ship, norovirus can spread especially rapidly. It’s
worth noting that the United Kingdom (UK) saw a spike in norovirus activity
last month. "Between weeks 14 to 17 of 2024, the total number of norovirus
laboratory reports was 75% higher than the 5-season average for the same 4-week
period," according to UK government report.
So, the virus
could readily have made its way on board the Ventura in recent weeks and the vessel’s
ongoing outbreak is not an entirely isolated incident. As far back as February,
more than 120
passengers aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria cruise ship experienced similar
symptoms, the cause of which was later confirmed to be norovirus. And, in
January, 100 passengers and crew likewise came down with norovirus on board a
Celebrity Cruises ship as it sailed roundtrip from Tampa to New Orleans and
down through the Western Caribbean.
Altogether, the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented six separate outbreaks
of gastrointestinal diseases on cruise ships, five of which were attributed to
norovirus, while one was reported to have been caused by E. coli. This
underscores the challenge that cruise lines face in preventing and managing such
infections, despite their stringent health protocols and sanitation measures.
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