More than 100 people have taken ill on board a cruise ship in the Caribbean after an outbreak of the norovirus.
In total, 115 people including 102 passengers and 13 crew on board the Caribbean Princess have symptoms of the virus, also known as the winter vomiting bug, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Measures have already been taken to limit the spread of the bug with infected people being isolated from other passengers, reports the Mirror.
Operated by Princess Cruises, the Caribbean Princess departed Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday, April 28, and is due to return on Monday, May 11.
According to data from cruise tracking app CruiseMapper, the vessel is currently off the coast of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the north Caribbean and is scheduled to stop in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, tomorrow.
The outbreak of the highly contagious but rarely fatal norovirus comes amid a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship – a far less transmissible virus that can prove deadly.
In a statement released on Friday, Princess Cruises said: “Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades. We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage.”
No information about what may have caused the outbreak was released but Princess Cruises have confirmed that the Caribbean Princess will be fully cleaned and disinfected before its next voyage.
According to the CDC, there are 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members on board the ship.
Symptoms of norovirus, often referred to as the winter vomiting bug, include vomiting and diarrhoea according to the NHS. It spreads through close contact with infected people, contaminated surfaces, infected food or water, and food prepared by someone carrying the virus.
While unpleasant, symptoms usually improve in about two days.
The fresh outbreak comes as more than 140 passengers and crew members remain on board a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship heading for the Canary Islands.
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is expected to reach the Spanish island of Tenerife early on Sunday. At least three passengers have died and several other people have been infected.
Hantavirus is usually spread through inhaling particles contaminated by rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. The World Health Organization has said the risk to the wider public remains low.
Article continues below
Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.