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More Than 80 People On Board Holland America Cruise That Left Florida Have Norovirus: CDC
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - More than 80 people on board a Holland America cruise ship that left Florida are sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(09/03/08 Boston, MA )The Heral takes a tour aboard Holland America's cruise ship "Eurodam" currently at The Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. Overall of the ship's Lido Midship Pool on the 9th. Deck. Staff Photo by Patrick Whittemore. Saved in Thursday
The CDC reports that 88 passengers and crew on the Eurodam ship have gotten the norovirus, a gastrointestinal disease commonly found on cruise ships.
READ: Nearly 100 on board Royal Caribbean cruise that left Tampa sick with gastrointestinal illness: CDC
According to the agency, this is the eighth outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on a cruise ship in 2025 and the second Holland America ship to report an outbreak of the norovirus this month.
Dig deeper:
The agency says that 79 of those sick are passengers, while nine are crew onboard the ship.
The ship left Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades on February 19. It was set to cruise the Caribbean before returning to Florida on March 1, according to CruiseMapper.
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The CDC says it only took four days for the outbreak to be reported to the agency's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which included diarrhea and vomiting.
PORTLAND, ME - SEPTEMBER 30: Passengers aboard the cruise ship Eurodam of Holland America cruise lines stand on their balcony and look at the Portland cityscape as a crew member at the top cleans as it prepares to depart port Tuesday, September 30, 2
That's when the CDC says Holland America Line isolated sick passengers and crew, collected stool samples for testing, increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, and consulted with VSP about sanitation cleaning procedures and reporting ill cases.
What they're saying:
The CDC says it is 'remotely monitoring' the outbreak and reviewing the ship's outbreak response and sanitation procedures.
READ: 90th annual Florida Strawberry Festival kicks off in Plant City on Thursday
They have also reissued guidelines for 'Healthy Cruising' recommendations to passengers, which include regular handwashing, drinking enough water, and getting enough rest.
"During its current voyage, a number of guests onboard Eurodam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolved. We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize further transmission, including continuous disinfection of the ship," a company spokesperson said.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Holland America.
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FloridaTravel NewsHealthTourismMore Than 80 People Sick With Stomach Bug On Cruise Ship That Set Sail Out Of Florida
The ship is expected back in Florida on Saturday, March 1.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Dozens of passengers are sick on a Holland America cruise ship that set sail out of Fort Lauderdale.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 79 passengers and nine crew members aboard the Eurodam are sick with norovirus. The ship left Port Everglades on Feb. 19, according to CruiseMapper.
Four days into the voyage, the outbreak was reported with symptoms being diarrhea and vomiting. The cruise is scheduled to arrive back in the Sunshine State on Saturday.
There are a total of 2,057 passengers and 834 crew members on board.
The 10-day voyage is on a trip to the Southern Caribbean with stops in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and Aruba, to name a few, according to CruiseMapper.
The CDC says Holland America and its crew have reported taking the following actions after the illness was reported:
For tips on how passengers can protect themselves from contracting illness while cruising, click or tap here.
Cruise ships are required to report cases of gastrointestinal illness, or acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in order to help outbreaks get detected earlier and the spread can be mitigated.
Medical staff evaluate symptoms to see if they meet the CDC's case definition for AGE:
Passengers Aboard Cruise Ship Fall Ill During Possible Norovirus Outbreak
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Passengers aboard a P&O Cruises ship off the coast of Belgium fell ill with gastrointestinal illness symptoms believed to have been caused by norovirus.
The outbreak that impacted "fewer than 1% of guests" happened on a sailing of P&O Cruises' Iona last week. The ship departed for a new cruise on Saturday, a P&O Cruises spokesperson told FOX Business via email.
The low percentage of those who experienced symptoms may come as a surprise, after one passenger told Sky News "a large number" of guests and staff were affected and that "people have been dropping like flies."
"People [were] throwing up in restaurants, on decks, outside cabins," the unnamed passenger told the media outlet. The passenger added scheduled entertainment acts were "unable to perform and replaced with a cobbled-together entertainment program to placate the guests."
MORE THAN 90 PEOPLE FALL ILL WITH GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE
The Iona in the Port of Southampton, U.K., on June 17, 2021. ( Peter Titmuss/UCG/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
"What was also incredulous was the inability to buy or get hold of any medication onboard to help with the symptoms. Not one shop or medical center onboard could supply guests with gastrointestinal suspension medication or replacement salts/fluid sachets," the passenger continued.
The Iona's home port is Southampton, and it has been cruising since 2021, P&O Cruises' website states. It is "ideal for families, couples and newcomers." The ship has a guest capacity of 5,200 and can hold up to 1,800 crew members.
NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK ON PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP LEAVES DOZENS OF PASSENGERS, CREW SICK: CDC
Cleaning contractors work around the cruise terminal in Southampton after the P&O liner Oriana docked in Southampton after returning from a 10-night Baltic cruise out of Southampton, during which those aboard the liner have reported as many as 40 (Chris Ison/PA Images / Getty Images)
P&O Cruises, part of Carnival Corporation & plc, prides itself on cruising "with more British holidaymakers out of the UK than any other cruise line," according to its website.
"P&O Cruises works with global, national and regional public health authorities on approved, stringent and proven protocols across our ships in order to protect the health and wellbeing of all on board," a statement from a P&O Cruises spokesperson said.
Ticker Security Last Change Change % CCL CARNIVAL CORP. 23.93 +0.43 +1.83%"As we navigate through the winter season in the UK with an abundance of caution, we have proactively stepped up these already very robust health protection measures. All guests traveling or embarking are provided with communications to ensure their wellbeing which is always our priority," the statement concluded.
Specimens are tested for gastrointestinal infections like norovirus in Chicago on Jan. 12, 2016. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service / Getty Images)
"Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with Norovirus," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says on its website. "Norovirus is sometimes called the 'stomach flu' or 'stomach bug.' However, norovirus illness is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza virus."
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One risk that those infected with norovirus face is dehydration, and the CDC recommends that people who have the virus drink plenty of fluids to help with their recovery.
The CDC provides tips for healthy cruising here.
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