Hundreds Sick, Royal Caribbean Cruise Cut Short
More than 200 people who became ill aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship are back in Baltimore, after a stomach-turning bout with norovirus. Royal Caribbean cut short the Grandeur of the Seas' scheduled nine-day cruise trip to Jamaica, after 193 passengers and 9 crew members became ill, apparently with norovirus. The cruise line cut short a nine-day trip to Jamaica. The ship returned to the Port of Baltimore on Monday. The cruise was originally scheduled to return to Baltimore on Tuesday. The illness, including vomiting and diarrhea, is believed to be norovirus, a potentially serious contagion that can spread from person to person through contaminated food and water and on contaminated surfaces.
Alaska Issues Caution for Norwalk-Like Virus
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) issued a Food Safety & Sanitation Bulletin providing information about Norwalk-Like Virus (NLV) outbreaks aboard cruise vessels. In May and again in August, outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness caused by Norwalk-Like Virus (NLV) occurred on cruise ships traveling between Vancouver and Seward. Other sporadic cases of Norwalk-like virus are being reported in Alaska. Travelers use a variety of transportation modes to get to Alaska and to destinations throughout the state. This increases the number of persons they contact, and facilitates person-to-person spread of this illness. Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) are a group of viruses that cause gastroenteritis.
