CDC confirms spread of 'unknown' outbreak on cruise ship

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the spread of an "unknown" outbreak on a cruise ship.

The outbreak on the Queen Victoria cruise ship was first reported in early February when 15 people suffered from an undiagnosed illness.

Passengers on the cruise ship suffered from symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.

However, the mystery illness quickly spread throughout the cruise ship.

The CDC reported that at least 154 people had been stricken with a sickness – 129 passengers and 25 crew members.

There are 1,824 passengers and 967 crew members aboard the cruise ship.

Despite investigating the illness more than two weeks ago, the CDC said that the cause of the outbreak is "unknown."

The outbreak is being monitored by the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, which "helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control the introduction, transmission, and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships."

Cunard Cruise Line, which operates the Queen Victoria, said it had increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, isolated ill passengers and crew, and "notified current and embarking passengers and crew of the situation onboard and encouraged prompt illness reporting and good hand hygiene."

According to Cruise Mapper, the Queen Victoria cruise ship is currently on a 55-day voyage that began on Jan. 22 in Hamburg, Germany. On Tuesday, the ship arrives at its next port of call in Apia in the South Pacific island nation of Samoa. The cruise ends on March 4 in Sydney, Australia.

The Epoch Times reported, "While the CDC report still hasn’t revealed the cause of the Cunard cruise ship’s outbreak, norovirus has been the most common source of illnesses on cruise ships in recent years."

The CDC defines norovirus as: "A very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. Norovirus is sometimes called the 'stomach flu' or 'stomach bug.' However, norovirus illness is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza virus."

The health agency noted that most norovirus outbreaks in the United States happen between November and April.

There is a yearly average of around 20 million who get infected by norovirus, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 900 norovirus deaths – mostly among adults aged 65 and older.

Norovirus is prevalent on cruise ships because of close living quarters and new people boarding the ship.

The CDC reported 14 illness outbreaks on cruise ships in 2023. Norovirus was the cause on 13 occasions and the other was caused by E. coli and salmonella.

This year, there has already been one norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship.

In January, a norovirus outbreak struck the Celebrity Constellation cruise ship. There were 92 passengers and eight crew members who fell ill.

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