Scores of passengers set on a relaxing vacation in a luxury cruise ship were treated to a nasty surprise with the outbreak of what is currently believed to be a strain of norovirus. A total of 68 passengers of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship were affected by the onset of both diarrhea and vomiting and left bed-ridden. Due to the suffering of the passengers, the ship was forced to dock in Miami.
Different strains of norovirus, also called the Norwalk virus, can be very contagious and once the virus gets into a human body, symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea may occur. The virus can be transmitted through a variety of means such as contaminated food and water, or contact with contaminated feces. Each year, up to 267 million individuals show norovirus-related symptoms.
Aside from the 68 passengers affected by the outbreak, 84 crew members of the cruise ship Majesty of the Seas also came down with similar symptoms. While the symptoms proved difficult to manage for many of the affected passengers, the cruise company that owns the ship reported that the affected passengers and crew responded well to the over the counter medications they were given.
The four day cruise would have docked in multiple ports but the ship was only able to stop in 3 ports, two of which were in the Bahamas. Once the outbreak started, the crew of the ship were forced to take extra precautions to disinfect and sanitize the ship to keep the problem from spreading to the rest of the passengers. Considering that a total of 2,581 passenger were onboard the ship and only around 2.5 percent of the passengers were affected, it appears that the crew members did a pretty job in restricting the outbreak.
After the affected passengers disembarked, the company managing the ship also conducted thorough cleaning operations to make sure that no traces of the virus remained. However, incoming passengers were also asked to answer a few questions before coming onboard. Moreover, passengers who felt uncomfortable about boarding a ship that was the site of a very recent outbreak were given the option of rescheduling their trip. While the norovirus comes with a nasty list of symptoms, it is often treatable and most deaths attributed to the virus often happen to elderly individuals or people with weakened immunity system.
