A mysterious illness has sickened over 140 passengers and crew members aboard the Royal Caribbean International ship, Navigator of the Seas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program reported that the outbreak occurred during a week-long, round-trip cruise from Los Angeles on July 4.
According to the CDC, 134 passengers out of 3,914 reported being ill during the trip, while seven crew members also fell victim to the illness. The symptoms included diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.
Royal Caribbean has increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan, collected stool specimens for testing, isolated ill passengers and crew members, and consulted with the Vessel Sanitation Program. The program remotely monitored the situation and will continue to investigate the cause of the outbreak.
The recent illnesses follow several other cruise ship outbreaks in recent months, including an outbreak on a Holland America Line ship in February that affected nearly 80 passengers, and an outbreak on a Princess Cruises ship in February that saw over 80 passengers and crew members fall ill during a 16-night cruise.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cruise-ship-illness-royal-caribbean