At least 204 passengers and crew onboard a Princess Cruises, Crown Princess voyage have contracted norovirus, according to federal health officials. This is the first cruise ship outbreak of 2016.
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12 outbreaks were investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program (CDC-VSP), 11 outbreak were due to norovirus.
The two week voyage that returned to Los Angeles earlier this week saw 180 passengers and 24 crew people who suffered or were suffering from symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.
Two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and one epidemiologist boarded the ship in Los Angeles, CA, on January 18, 2016, to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. Specimens were collected and tested onboard using a norovirus rapid test; results were positive for norovirus.
In response to the outbreak, Princess Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions: Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan, collected stool specimens from passenger and crew gastrointestinal illness cases for testing and made twice daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to the Vessel Sanitation Program.
Norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness that often goes by other names, such as viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning.
The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills,headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. In most people, the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about 1 or 2 days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults do.
Norovirus is spread person to person particularly in crowded, closed places. Norovirus is typically spread through contaminated food and water, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth and close contact with someone who is vomiting or has diarrhea.
Norovirus causes more than 20 million illnesses annually in the US, and it is the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States.
My husband and I contracted the Norovirus on the January 8th sailing.What a horror.I believe it was on the ship when we arrived Jan. 8th.started on the 4 day continuation cruise before us.There is no way that the ship was cleaned properly for our group coming on board, resulting in 204 people getting sick so quickly. Menus, casino chips and cards.food areas.elevators,Not happy about the cleaning procedures that take place between sailings.
We were on Crown Princess for the 4 nights west coast 1/18/16. We carried antibacterial wipes all the time. It wasn’t fun! We don’t think the ship crew was properly trained to conduct sanitation duties. Some carried small yellow buckets with rags to wipe areas. How often they change the sanitizing solution, no one knows. However, it just looked not sanitary enough. We think the ship needs PROFESSIONAL sanitizing, rather than have their untrained crew members do the wiping! Though we did not get sick, the chronic outbreak on that ship discounted the joy of cruising! We will not board Crown Princess again!
My husband and I just returned yesterday July 17th from being on the crown princess. I have been sick for three days and a few of us from our group are feeling the same way. Nausea, diarrhea Etc. The food was sketchy. Milk Luke warm, yogurts Luke warm, cheeses warm.. Nothing real cold or real hot unless you went to specialty restaurants. want cold creamer for your coffee? Forget it! Want cold milk for your cereal? Forget it! Want yogart with nice cold strawberries? Forget it! The ship (mid ship) smelled like sewer constantly and just that alone made me feel sick. I cruised celebrity before and it was great and sanitary and food was wonderful and healthy.