115 passengers, crew sick in norovirus outbreak on Princess cruise ship
More than 100 people got sick in a norovirus outbreak on a Princess Cruises ship.
Among 3,001 passengers aboard the cruise line’s Ruby Princess vessel, 103 reported being ill during a sailing that ended Wednesday, along with a dozen crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were diarrhea and vomiting.
The ship left San Francisco on Dec. 2 for a cruise to Hawaii and Mexico, according to CruiseMapper.
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The cruise line increased disinfection and cleaning onboard and isolated sick guests and crew, among other steps, the CDC said. Princess did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2024, the CDC has logged 13 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships that met its threshold for public notification. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent in all but three.
While the illness is frequently associated with cruises, those instances account for 1% of all outbreaks reported.
“There's not something special or unique about cruise ships,” Dr. Sarah E. Hochman, a hospital epidemiologist and the section chief of infectious diseases at NYU Langone Health’s Tisch Hospital, told USA TODAY in April. “It's really any type of congregate setting, but it's also happening out in the community on a much smaller scale among households and household contacts. It just doesn't come to the attention of public health as much as it does for larger congregate settings.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Princess cruise ship norovirus outbreak sickens 115 guests, crew
