More than 80 people sick in second Coral Princess norovirus outbreak this year
More than 80 people got sick in a norovirus outbreak on a Princess Cruises ship, marking the second outbreak on the vessel this year.
Sixty-nine of the 1,906 guests aboard Coral Princess reported being ill during a voyage that ended Sunday, along with 13 crew members, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.
The ship departed Los Angeles on Feb. 21 on a cruise visiting Mexico, the Panama Canal and more before ending in Fort Lauderdale, according to CruiseMapper.
"At the earliest signs of illness, we promptly enacted enhanced sanitization protocols, including comprehensive disinfection, isolating affected guests, and offering health guidance to everyone on board," Princess told Paste BN in an emailed statement. "Upon arrival in (Fort) Lauderdale on Sunday, March 9, our crew conducted additional disinfection measures prior to the next sailing."
Coral Princess previously saw a norovirus outbreak on a cruise that set sail in late January. There have been nine outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness that met the health agency’s threshold for public notification so far this year. Most were caused by norovirus.
The illness is often associated with cruises, but those comprise just 1% of all outbreaks reported.
Dr. Dean Winslow, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at Stanford Medicine, told Paste BN in January that outbreaks tend to happen in congregate settings, particularly where people eat and drink. That includes cruise ships, universities, nursing homes and “even hospitals,” he said.
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.