More than 100 people on a cruise ship have been sickened with norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug that can cause vomiting so severe that sufferers are left with cracked ribs.
Some 102 passengers and 13 crew members were reported sick so far on board the Caribbean Princess, the CDC said.
The ship, run by Princess Cruises, set off on April 28 and is currently in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, headed toward Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. It is scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral, Florida, on May 11.
There are a total of 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members on board.
The outbreak was reported to the CDC on May 7 and the predominant symptoms, according to the health agency, were diarrhea and vomiting.
Princess Cruises and the crew have increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, collected stool specimens from sick passengers for testing, isolated sick crew and passengers and consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
The company said: ‘We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage. Upon arrival to Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage.’
This is the fourth outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness on board a US cruise ship this year, according to the CDC, and comes as an international vessel, MV Hondius, is battling an outbreak of deadly hantavirus.