Health officials investigated a major cruise ship after nearly 80 people on board reported being ill with symptoms of norovirus -including vomiting and diarrhoea
A major cruise ship saw nearly 80 travellers and staff stuck down as officials boarded to investigate.
A Holland America’s Westerdam ship saw 65 guests and 11 members of the crew develop norovirus symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhoea and fever.
This suspected norovirus outbreak saw the major cruise line operator launched extra protocols on the ship for the nearly 2,800 passengers on board the vessel.
The illnesses were reported in March and officials from The Centre for Health Protection boarded the vessel on March 1, which was travelling from Japan to Hong Kong. Tests, run by the ship’s lab, found stool samples from seven people on board tested positive for norovirus.
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Holland America, in a statement to Fox News, said: “During the previous voyage of Westerdam from Yokohama, Japan to Hong Kong, a number of guests reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.
“The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolving. As a precaution and consistent with our standard protocols, we implemented enhanced sanitation procedures and conducted additional deep cleaning when the ship completed its sailing in Hong Kong.”
This cruise ship had called at Yokohama, in Japan, Busan, in South Korea, and Shanghai, in China. The CHP revealed it would go through more testing following the suspected outbreak.
Authorities from the Hong Kong government added: “The two passengers who fell ill first boarded the cruise ship in Japan on Feb. 15 and developed symptoms on the same day. Subsequently, other individuals were affected.”
The controller of the CHP, Dr. Edwin Tsui, in the statement said: “After inspecting the cruise ship, the CHP personnel briefed the affected individuals and the operator on health advice and necessary infection control measures, including thorough disinfection… and attention to personal and environmental hygiene.”
Passengers and members of the crew who were not ill were allowed to disembark the cruise ship. The vessel then underwent cleaning and disinfection, which were checked by authorities, before new travellers and staff were allowed to board.
Dr. Tsui added: “Given the current high activity levels of norovirus … I urge cross-border cruise passengers and operators to pay special attention to personal, food and environmental hygiene to safeguard individual health and public health.” The cruise liner then left Hong Kong and travelled to the Philippines.
This comes just weeks after a highly contagious stomach bug has left “hundreds” of passengers ill on a Fred Olsen’s The Balmoral cruise. Guests on the vessel reported an outbreak of gastroenteritis – a serious stomach flu that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting.
Some travellers were reportedly told to isolate after around 200 people were thought to have become sick on the vessel, in January this year. At the time, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ director of health services, Kate Bunyan, confirmed some guests reported gastrointestinal symptoms.
She said: “We have immediately implemented measures to help reduce transmission, and our medical team is on hand to provide support to anyone who should feel unwell during the cruise.”
