Health officials announced that over 130 people on board a Cunard Cruise Line ship that left from Florida have mysteriously developed gastrointestinal illness.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that the main symptoms among those on board the vessel included diarrhea and vomiting.
Nearly 140 People on Ship Contracted Gastrointestinal Illness
MONACO - SEPTEMBER 24: Translatlantic ocean liner Queen Mary 2 is seen during the International Monaco Yacht Show at Port Hercules on September 24, 2010 in Monaco, Monaco. Launched in 2004, Queen Mary 2 succeeded the Queen Elizabeth 2 as flagship of the Cunard Line in 2008 on the QE2's retirement from service.
The CDC stated in an advisory on Wednesday that at least 120 passengers and 15 crew members have reported falling ill since the departure of Queen Victoria on January 22. According to US Newsper, the cause of the gastrointestinal illness was not immediately known.
The cruise line had isolated the ill passengers and crews in response to the mysterious outbreak. According to the ship's outbreak prevention and response plan, they increased cleaning and disinfection procedures. The CDC added that the situation on board is being monitored by the health agency's Vessel Sanitation Program.
According to the CruiseMapper tracking website, the Queen Victoria ship, which has space for more than 2,000 people, departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a 16-night journey. The ship will stop in San Francisco on February 7 before docking in Honolulu five days later.
The 2007-built cruise ship is currently on a 107-night global voyage that started on January 11 in Southampton, UK. The gastrointestinal crisis struck just a week after an unknown disease struck passengers on a cruise ship docked in Florida. Passengers on the Carnival Cruise Line Elation ship complained of stomach flu-like symptoms after leaving Jacksonville.
One passenger, Miranda Hill, told First Coast News that her condition was so bad that she started throwing up blue vomit.
"My throw up was bright blue and I have never eaten anything blue and every time I look up blue throw up, it has to deal with a poisoning," she shared.
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Hundreds Fall Ill on Galveston-based Cruise Ship
The CDC reported that hundreds of passengers and crew members fell ill while on board a Princess Cruise ship.
According to CDC investigators, 284 of 2,881 passengers on the Ruby Princess reported being sick between February 26 and March 5, and 34 out of 1,159 staff members reported getting sick. The symptoms mentioned were vomiting and diarrhea.
The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program epidemiologists and environmental health officers responded to the ship when it stopped in Galveston, Texas, on March 5. The cause of the illnesses has not yet been identified.
Furthermore, the CDC said the ship's crew employed disinfection techniques and more frequent cleaning since the outbreak. They also obtained stool samples for CDC examination.
A Princess Cruise representative claimed they advised sick passengers to remain in their rooms. They said the illness was probably brought on by the highly contagious norovirus, which causes diarrhea and vomiting.
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