75+ people sick in norovirus outbreak on Holland America cruise
Nearly 80 people got sick in a norovirus outbreak on a Holland America Line cruise.
Among the 1,923 guests on its Zuiderdam ship, 74 reported being ill during a voyage that began on Dec. 4, along with four crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.
A spokesperson for Holland American said the “cases have mostly been mild and quickly resolving.”
“We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize further transmission,” the cruise line spokesperson told Paste BN in an emailed statement. “As a further precaution, upon arrival in Fort Lauderdale Saturday, the ship will undergo additional and comprehensive sanitization before embarking on its next voyage. Guests have been notified of updated boarding times to allow for the additional disinfection.”
The cruise line also isolated sick guests and crew, among other steps, the CDC said.
The health agency has logged 12 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met the health agency’s threshold for public notification in 2024. In all but three, norovirus was listed as the causative agent.
The illness is often associated with cruise ships, but those make up 1% of all reported outbreaks.
“There's not something special or unique about cruise ships,” Dr. Sarah E. Hochman, a hospital epidemiologist and the section chief of infectious diseases at NYU Langone Health’s Tisch Hospital, told Paste BN in April. “It's really any type of congregate setting, but it's also happening out in the community on a much smaller scale among households and household contacts. It just doesn't come to the attention of public health as much as it does for larger congregate settings.”
This story was updated to add new information.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.