When thinking of a Caribbean cruise I am sure some of the following things come to mind. Warm, sunny days, impeccable food packages, and rest and relaxation. Unfortunately, for guests aboard the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2, they experienced something else. Mainly, vomiting and diarrhea. That's right, during their holiday there was a norovirus outbreak and it infected more than 200 passengers.
Norovirus Outbreak Infects More Than 200 Passengers On Caribbean Cruise
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People Magazine shared that "Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 ship departed from Southampton, England, on March 8." CruiseMapper shared that the cruise liner traveled to New York and the Caribbean as part of its voyage. A voyage that was set to conclude on April 6th. A little over a month on the open ocean sounds like a dream...until everyone gets sick. While enjoying their time out on the sea, the passengers and crew were sharing more than just good times. They were also sharing a norovirus.
The CDC reports that "224 of the 2,538 passengers" have contracted the virus and fallen ill. Additionally, "17 of the 1,232 crew members are also unwell." Together, that means just slightly more than ten percent on the ship has contracted and suffered from this norovirus outbreak. It is unsurprising when considering how contagious the norovirus is. Honestly, I am impressed that only ten percent of the ship's population fell ill.
Besides coming into contact with an infected person, the Mayo Clinic shares that noroviruses are "commonly spread through food or water that is contaminated during preparation or through contaminated surfaces." Due to the method of spreading, the crew took extra precautionary measures to help slow and stop the spread of the virus. These measures included increased cleaning procedures. Additionally, People shares that "stool specimens" from ill passengers were collected.
Those on the Caribbean cruise who contracted the virus suffered from vomiting and diahrea. Typically, people suffer with norovirus symptoms for 1 to 3 days. Then, the majority of them recover without requiring treatment.
