An epidemic of Norovirus aboard a luxury cruise ship struck passengers and crew members, with more than 240 people who fell ill on Queen Mary 2 of the Cunard Line.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in a epidemic report These 224 of the 2,538 passengers of the ship fell ill from the virus, as well as 17 additional staff.
The ship left Southampton in the United Kingdom on March 8 for a cruise of almost a month in New York, then through the Caribbean, making various stops along the island chain. He was back in Southampton on April 6.
The expert in infectious diseases, Dr. William Schaffner, professor at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN Travel earlier this year that Norovirus was “known obviously under the name of cruise ship virus. “”
It is very contagious and prosperous in places where people gather in nearby neighborhoods, making cruise ships sensitive to epidemics. There were 10 Norovirus epidemics On cruise ships so far this year, reports the CDC.
“This is a virus that can infect you with very few viral particles. In other words, the infectious dose is very small,” said Schaffner.
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“It can persist for days or even a week on environmental surfaces, which means that if you put your fingers on a contaminated surface, you can pick up some viral particles, touch your mouth, then initiate an infection.”
According to the CDC, this particular epidemic saw the passengers fall sick with vomiting and diarrhea. The health agency claims that Cunard had intensified its cleaning and disinfection protocols, and that the sick passengers and crew are quarantined.
“Thanks to the rapid response of our team and the additional measures that we have in place, we already see a Reduction of reported cases“Said Cunard in a statement at the New York Times on Tuesday.
The CDC describes norovirus as a very contagious virus which can be contracted with an infected person, food or contaminated water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines, which causes stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
Norovirus disease can be serious, especially for young children and older adults.
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