Norovirus Outbreak: Cruise Ship Implements Rigorous Safety Measures As 175 People Fall Sick

A recent Celebrity Summit cruise went horribly wrong when a norovirus outbreak led to the illness of over 175 people on board, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

When the virus started to spread among the passengers, the Celebrity Cruises-operated ship was en route to Bermuda and South Carolina.

According to Fox News, the outbreak, which happened on the voyage from May 15 to 25, affected 152 of the 2,144 passengers onboard and 25 crew members.

Those who became ill suffered symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and headaches.

The CDC said that in response to the outbreak, the Summit’s crew “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan” and “notified current guests of the situation onboard and encouraged illness reporting and good hand hygiene.”

The CDC said that in response to the outbreak, the authorities have collected and sent stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases to the CDC laboratory. Provided twice-daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to VSP during the outbreak investigation. Consulted with VSP about sanitation cleaning procedures and reporting ill cases. Informed embarking guests of the situation onboard and encouraged illness reporting and good hand hygiene.

A Celebrity Cruises spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement Tuesday that “the health and safety of our guests, crew, and communities we visit are our top priorities.

“To maintain the highest levels of health onboard our ships, we implement rigorous safety and cleaning procedures, many far exceeding public health guidelines,” the spokesperson added. “Combined, these efforts allow us to maintain some of the lowest levels of community spread.”