Skip to main content

CDC Investigating Illness Outbreak on Luxury Cruise Ship

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 8, 2024.

By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 -- The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness aboard a luxury cruise ship that sailed out of San Francisco on Wednesday.

More than 150 people on the Queen Victoria, operated by Cunard Cruise Lines, have reported episodes of diarrhea and vomiting since the ship first set sail in early January, the CDC said in its investigation notice. A total of 125 passengers and 25 crew have fallen ill during the course of the voyage.

Carrying a total 1,800 passengers and 970 crew members, the ship is next expected to dock in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Monday.

The cause of the outbreak remains unclear, the CDC said, but Cunard told the agency that the ship has isolated ill passengers and crew and stepped up cleaning and disinfection efforts.

The reported cases are totals for the entire voyage, the CDC noted.

"Cunard confirms that a small number of guests had reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on board Queen Victoria," Cunard told NBC News.

"They immediately activated their enhanced health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of all guests and crew on board. Measures have been effective,” Cunard added.

The ship first left Germany on Jan. 9 and then departed Florida on Jan. 22, according to ship tracker Cruise Mapper, the Associated Press reported. The cruise ends in Australia next month.

Sources

  • U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, investigation notice, Feb. 5, 2024
  • Associated Press
  • NBC News

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted February 2024

Read this next

Florida Keys Issues Dengue Fever Alert After Two Cases Reported There

WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Health officials in the Florida Keys have issued a dengue fever alert after two confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported there. In...

Why Were Kids Hit Less Hard by COVID? New Study Offers Clues

WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Your children's never-ending colds and sniffles may have protected them from the worst effects of COVID-19, new research suggests. Throughout the...

FDA Study Shows Pasteurization Kills Bird Flu in Milk

MONDAY, July 1, 2024 -- As bird flu continues to spread among U.S. dairy cows, reassuring new government research finds the pasteurization process widely used in the industry...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.