Gastrointestinal Outbreak Affects 91 on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

Nearly 100 individuals fell ill with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea during a recent gastrointestinal outbreak on a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship. The outbreak affected 89 guests and two crew members out of the 2,164 individuals on board the Radiance of the Seas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the causative agent for the illness remains unknown.

The cruise ship departed from Tampa, Florida for a week-long Caribbean cruise and Royal Caribbean Group took immediate action by implementing enhanced disinfection and cleaning measures. Sick guests and crew members were isolated, and additional precautions were taken to safeguard the health and well-being of everyone on board. This incident marks the sixth gastrointestinal illness outbreak on a cruise ship that has met the CDC’s threshold for public notification in the current year.

Gastrointestinal outbreaks are not uncommon on cruise ships and are often associated with congregate settings where people are eating and drinking. Dr. Dean Winslow, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at Stanford Medicine, explained that such outbreaks can occur in various environments, including cruises, universities, nursing homes, and hospitals. Despite the prevalence of these incidents, they represent only a small fraction of all reported outbreaks.

Source