In a follow-up to a report yesterday on the norovirus outbreak on Royal Caribbean Cruise line’s “Grandeur of the Seas”, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the number of passengers affected late yesterday.
According to the update, 198 of 1948 (10.16%) passengers contracted the illness, while the number of crew affected remained unchanged at 9.
The Grandeur of the Seas outbreak is the first reported and investigated by the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) in 2015.
Cruise ships of at least 100 passengers in which 3% or more of passengers or crew reported symptoms of diarrheal disease to the ships medical staff during the voyage are reported by the VSP.
Prior to this outbreak, the most recent was in November 2014 when 172 passengers and crew were sickened with norovirus on board Princess Cruise’s Crown Princess.
According to the CDC, norovirus is the leading cause of illness and outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States. Most of these outbreaks occur in the food service settings like restaurants. Infected food workers are frequently the source of the outbreaks, often by touching ready-to-eat foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, with their bare hands before serving them. However, any food served raw or handled after being cooked can get contaminated with norovirus.
Norovirus outbreaks can also occur from foods, such as oysters, fruits, and vegetables, that are contaminated at their source.
