infested ship
Ship spokesperson: 90% of illnesses on cruise ships are caused by norovirus
Hundreds of passengers aboard an American cruise ship were infected with a mysterious disease, which prompted a state of alert among the health authorities to find out its causes and determine its severity.
More than 300 passengers and crew members who were on board the cruise ship “Princess Cruise”, which was on a voyage from Texas in the United States to Mexico from February 26 to March 5, were infected with the mysterious disease.
Of the 2,881 passengers on board the super-ship, 284 reported the disease, nearly 10%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of the 1,159 crew members, 34 fell ill, or about 3%.
Press reports seen by Al-Arabiya.net said that the symptoms prevailing among all those infected with the disease are vomiting and diarrhea, according to the investigations of the Center for Disease Control, and until last Tuesday, the seventh of this month, the cause was “unknown.”
Upon learning of the outbreak, crew members issued announcements and distributed notices to guests informing them of the increase in the number of sick people on board.
Crew members also stepped up cleaning and sterilization operations and collected samples from some sick guests to send to medical laboratories for disease detection.
A spokesman for the ship said that the disease was most likely caused by a highly contagious virus, according to what was reported by the American “CBS News” network.
“It is highly contagious and is often called the cruise ship virus. More than 90% of illnesses involving diarrhea on cruise ships are caused by norovirus,” the spokesperson added.
A spokesman for the flight said that crew members had ordered sick passengers to isolate in their cabins.
Epidemiologists and environmental health officials from the Centers for Disease Control in the United States responded on March 5 to reports of the emergence of this disease, and immediately began investigations into its causes.
The cruise company said the ship had already left for another voyage, a seven-day Caribbean tour, and the new passengers had been informed of the previous outbreak.