Norovirus outbreak on US cruise ship

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented a norovirus outbreak aboard a Princess Cruises vessel traveling from California to Florida on a voyage lasting approximately three weeks. This incident resulted in gastrointestinal distress, specifically vomiting and diarrhea, among eighty-two individuals, comprising sixty-nine passengers and thirteen crew members. Company representatives have stated that symptomatic passengers and crew were quarantined, and enhanced sanitation measures were implemented to control the spread of the illness. Furthermore, biological specimens were collected from affected individuals for laboratory analysis. After leaving Los Angeles on February 21, the vessel concluded its itinerary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 9, following scheduled port calls in Mexico, Costa Rica, Aruba, and a transit of the Panama Canal. The CDC reports that sixteen norovirus outbreaks occurred on cruise ships operating in U.S. waters during the previous year. Five outbreaks transpired in December 2024, resulting in eight hundred and ninety infections. The recurrent nature of such outbreaks on cruise ships is largely attributable to the transmission mechanisms of norovirus, which include close personal contact with infected persons and the ingestion of contaminated food or water or contact with tainted environmental surfaces.