Eighty-nine passengers and two crew members experienced gastrointestinal illness symptoms aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship returning to Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The Radiance of the Seas departed Florida for a seven-day western Caribbean cruise on Saturday, according to cruise tracking website CruiseMapper. Its planned stops included two in Mexico, one in Honduras and one in Belize.
The outbreak was reported to the CDC’s vessel sanitation program on Tuesday. Those who have fallen ill have experienced diarrhea and vomiting. At this time, the CDC says the cause is unknown.
Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to a FOX Business request for comment, but told USA Today, “Enhanced measures have been implemented onboard in an abundance of caution to protect the health and comfort of all our guests and crew.”
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Ill passengers and crew were isolated from others, the CDC said, and “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures” were implemented.
Cruise ships must report gastrointestinal illnesses to the CDC, the agency noted.
“Cases reported are totals for the entire voyage,” the CDC’s website states. “It does not mean all people are sick at the same time, such as when they arrive or leave a port or ship.”
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While Norovirus is “often a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships,” the CDC says determining the cause “can take time.” Stool specimens from impacted passengers were collected to aid in the investigation.
The CDC provides tips for healthy cruising here.
Radiance of the Seas is an almost 24-year-old ship which underwent improvements during a 2011 dry dock, according to Royal Caribbean’s website. It can hold 2,143 guests under double-occupancy conditions and up to 894 international crew members.
