Norovirus Outbreak Sickens Dozens Aboard Serenade of the Seas

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship returned to PortMiami this week after an outbreak of norovirus sickened dozens of passengers and several crew members during a 13 night voyage from San Diego, federal health officials and the line said. The ship, Serenade of the Seas, departed San Diego on September 19 and made port calls in Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia before arriving in Miami on October 2, officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program received notification of gastrointestinal illness aboard the vessel on September 28 and has been monitoring the situation remotely, the agency said. Initial reports to the CDC recorded 71 passengers and one crew member with symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. Subsequent CDC updates put the total higher, reporting 94 passengers and four crew members fell ill at some point during the voyage. An outbreak under CDC rules is defined as three or more passengers or crew with specified gastrointestinal symptoms.

Royal Caribbean said it increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, isolated sick passengers and crew, collected stool specimens for testing and consulted with the CDC about sanitation and reporting....