CDC reports 19th cruise ship norovirus outbreak this year, affecting passengers and crew

The Center of Diseases Controls (CDC) has listed the 19th outbreak of norovirus on a cruise ship this year.

Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas cruise ship grappled with a norovirus outbreak that has sickened nearly 100 people. The ship traveled from San Diego to Miami. 

The cruise alerted the CDC about the outbreak on Sept. 28, according to Fox 8.

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Over 90 passengers and four crew members aboard reported being ill during the voyage, according to the CDC. This does not mean that they were all ill at the same time, but it’s the total number reported during the ship’s journey. 

The CDC noted that the predominant symptoms were diarrhea and vomiting.

A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told Fox Business that “the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit” are their “top priority.”

“To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines,” the spokesperson added.

The CDC notes on its site that norovirus “is sometimes called the ‘stomach flu’ or the ‘stomach bug.’ However, norovirus illness is not related to the flu. The flu is caused by the influenza virus. Norovirus causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines.”

Scott Weisenberg, M.D., medical director at New York University’s Langone Faculty Group Practice Infectious Diseases and of the Langone Travel Medicine, told Fox News Digital that norovirus spreads easily in many settings, such as long-term care facilities and cruise ships.  

“The virus spreads easily as surfaces get contaminated by the touch of an infected person or through the air,” he said. “Close living environments provide lots of opportunities for spread once a norovirus outbreak has started.”

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Weisenberg said the norovirus requires a relatively small amount of virus to cause diseases, and it can persist on surfaces.

Any area where people are touching the same surfaces can be a risk, and people can get infected from touching items in those areas. 

He said that washing hands with soap and water is better than using alcohol hand sanitizers to prevent norovirus. 

“If people have acute vomiting, they should avoid public areas, since even if they don’t touch anything, the virus can spread through the air,” said Weisenberg. “Washing surfaces with approved products such as bleach can remove the virus from shared surfaces.”

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed reporting.