A group of passengers got more than they bargained for on a Diamond Princess cruise. The cruise ship docked in Sydney on Wednesday after a 12-day trip, with more than 150 passengers showing symptoms of norovirus gastroenteritis, The Daily Telegraph reported. Symptoms of the norovirus include sever diarrhea and vomiting.
Over 150 passengers, as well as a few members of the crew, went to the ship's medical clinic with symptoms.
However, while many passengers presented symptoms, no one needed to be hospitalized, according to AOL Travel U.K.
"A small proportion of the total number of passengers on-board reported gastro intestinal symptoms confirmed as being due to the common stomach bug norovirus. On the final full day of the cruise around 35 passengers were symptomatic. Increased sanitation levels on the ship were effective in containing the illness," a Carnival Australia spokesman said regarding the outbreak, according to the Daily Mail.
Norovirus is a very common illness experienced on cruises and has become increasingly common in recent years. The illness is considered the second most common travel sickness, after the common cold.
Over the Christmas holiday, 50 of the 1,500 passengers on a P&O Pacific Eden cruise ship came down with norovirus. Earlier in December, 182 of the 3,566 passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship came down with a similar stomach bug.
