Dozens fall ill with norovirus on month-long cruise between Singapore and California
Dozens of people on a month-long cruise have fallen ill with norovirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
The Coral Princess, a 965-foot cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, was sailing a month-long route between Singapore and Long Beach, California. The ship has over 2,700 passengers and crew members aboard.
Fifty-five passengers have reported being ill with norovirus, according to a news release from the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program. Fifteen crew members had the same illness, the CDC said. The first illness was reported on Nov. 9, and the ship docked in California on Nov. 17.
There were no delays to its arrival, and it embarked on a 16-day journey to Fort Lauderdale, Florida the next morning, according to the ship tracking site VesselFinder.
Norovirus is a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness that results in uncomfortable symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting. It spreads the most in enclosed spaces, including cruise ships. Most cases of the illness resolve within one to three days, according to the CDC. The totals of people ill are based on the amount of people who reported the illness at any time during the cruise, and they may not have all been sick at once, the CDC said.
In response to the outbreak, the Coral Princess crew increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, following their prevention and response plan, according to the CDC.
This is the eighth norovirus outbreak reported to the CDC in 2024, according to statistics provided by the agency. In 2023, 13 outbreaks were reported. On one Viking Cruises vessel, more than 13% of passengers and nearly 2% of crew members reported falling ill during a two-week journey.