More than 250 passengers taken ill after suspected 'vomiting bug' outbreak aboard cruise ship, report says

18.05.2024 - 14:31 / insider.com

Hundreds of holidaymakers on board a P&O cruise ship have been taken ill with suspected cases of norovirus.

More than 150 guests are isolated on board P&O's MV Ventura ship, which left Southampton in the UK on May 11 for a 14-night cruise around the Canary Islands, a source told Metro.co.uk.

The unnamed source said there had been 250 suspected cases in the last four days, adding that guests had been "throwing up in public spaces" around the vessel.

"This is a serious outbreak. We don't know where it came from, it has been on board for a month maybe 5-6 weeks now and each cruise we think it has gone but more and more people get sick," another source told Metro.

Business Insider was unable to independently verify these claims, but a P&O spokesperson told BI that there had been numerous reports of guests with "gastrointestinal symptoms" on board.

The P&O spokesperson said, "upon embarkation, all guests were provided with an advisory notice with precautionary health measures for on board and on shore."

The staff aboard Ventura had "implemented approved and enhanced sanitisation protocols" and "a further enhanced and extended sanitisation took place in Tenerife," on Friday.

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In the US, the risk of getting norovirus each year is about 1 in 15, while a passenger on a cruise ship has about a 1 in 5,500 chance of getting laboratory-confirmed norovirus during an outbreak on ship, Cruise Lines International Association says on its website.

According to the P&O website, Ventura has capacity for 3,078 guests and 1,205 crew.

Norovirus is one possible cause of the guests' symptoms.

Also known as the "vomiting bug," norovirus is a highly contagious stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea.

It can be spread via close contact with someone who has the bug, touching your mouth after touching contaminated surfaces or objects, or eating contaminated food, according to the UK's National Health Service.

In confined areas such as a cruise ship, the virus can spread particularly quickly.

The UK experienced a period of high norovirus activity in April.

"Between weeks 14 to 17 of 2024, the total number of norovirus laboratory reports was 75% higher than the 5-season average for the same 4-week period," a UK government report said.

In February, over 120 passengers on board Cunard's Queen Victoria ship reported having diarrhea and vomiting. It was later revealed that norovirus had caused the sickness.

In January, the CDC reported an outbreak of norovirus on a Celebrity Cruises ship. The agency said 100 people, including passengers and crew, reported symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

The CDC had already logged a total of six outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases aboard cruise ships so far this year. Five of