Health Outbreaks at Sea in 2006

After an hour delay, passengers boarding for the transatlantic crossing from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon were given a questionnaire to fill in about health issues, told there had been a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the last cruise, and given the option to cancel the cruise (this at the last minute, after having traveled to Rio). On the ship there was no self service at the Lido etc, not even for coffee; all hot tubs, the library etc. was closed; no shaking of hands, no salt and pepper, bread/butter on the table etc., everything was provided by the crew. According to one passenger: They were fumigating all the time, even in the middle of the night, when I woke up because of the noise the machine was making. When I opened my door I saw a man with a mask and tank, who stopped immediately. The crew would not say how many persons were ill. On day 8, cruise passengers were told the outbreak was over and self service at the buffets etc. would start again. They kept spraying all through the end of the cruise, which sometimes hurt my eyes and made breathing a bit difficult during short time. We heard about several people who had gone in quarantine after reporting ill.

	2002 Box Score		2003 Box Score		2004 Box Score		2005 Box Score		2006 Box Score
Illness:	# of reports	Total Sick	# of reports	Total Sick	# of reports	Total Sick	# of reports	Total Sick	# of reports	Pax Sick	Crew Sick	Total Sick
Gastrointestinal (including Noro virus)	35	3070	36	3187	40	3350	34	4653	53	6481	617	7098
E coli	1	240			1	86			1	86	31	117
Salmonella	3	51					1	21
Shigella	1	169
Other	3		2	7
Total	43	3530	44	3556	42	3675	35	4674	54	6567	658	7215
NOTE: Box Score includes outbreaks confirmed by the CDC or those reported by multiple sources with reliable numbers. Estimates given by passengers are generally not included in the table.

Date	Ship Cruise Line	Event	Source
December 23	Oosterdam Holland America Line	CBS in San Diego reports an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise ending today. While the cruise line says there were 55 passengers and crew reporting ill, reports from passengers indicate the number was higher. One says about room service, "So many people were sick, they stopped answering the phone." Room service was taking as long as three hours for deliveries.	Media
December 20	Regal Princess Princess Cruises	The ship reported that 5 of 678 crew and 75 of 1479 (4.81%) passengers had reported ill on the 7 - 27 December Panama Canal cruise from San Juan. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
December 11	Zaandam Holland America Line	The ship reported that 4 of 617 (0.67%) crew and 64 of 1431 (14.47%) passengers had reported ill on the 26 November -11 December Hawaiian circle cruise from San Diego. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
December 10	Sun Princess Princess Cruises	The ship reported that 7 of 862 (0.81%) crew and 112 of 2013 (5.56%) passengers had reported ill on the 30 November - 10 December Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
December 10	Freedom of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 11 crew and 97 passengers had reported ill on the 3 - 10 December cruise from Miami. The CDC recommended the ship not sail for 48 hours due to three consecutive voyages with a high number of illnesses. The cruise scheduled for 10 December will depart 12 December with port calls at Montego Bay and Labadee.	CDC
December 9	Norwegian Wind Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship reported that 7 of 691 (0.01%) crew and 77 of 1691 (4.61%) passengers had reported ill on the 29 November -9 December Hawaiian cruise from Honolulu. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
December 3	Freedom of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 46 of 1402 (3.28%) crew and 338 of 3823 (8.84%) passengers had reported ill on the 26 November - 3 December cruise from Miami. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
November 25	Summit Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 12 of 942 (1.27%) crew and 72 of 1911 (3.77%) passengers had reported ill on the 11 - 25 November cruise from Los Angeles to San Juan (Puerto Rico). Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
November 25	Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger: Ship left San Juan PR 18 November (Saturday) ... we received a letter that if we needed medical assistance because of a flu, cold or gastrointestinal illness, medical services would be complementary. On Monday the Captain announced there were 55 cases of gastrointestinal illness. My 10 year old son got it on Wednesday night and we were confined to the room until disembarkation 25 November. On Thursday a nurse said they attended 80 people that day alone; the outbreak of norovirus affected around 135 people ... about 5% (and those are reported cases only). Many passengers didn't report being ill when they learned they'd be confined to the room for 48 hours. CDC Report: 3 of 848 crew (0.35%) and 101 of 2241 passengers (4.51%) reported ill.	PAX -- CDC
November 13	Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Lines	The ship reported that 116 of 1166 (9.94%) crew and 429 of 2804 (15.3%) passengers had reported ill with one week remaining in the cruise. The cruise begin in Civitivecchia on 3 November and ends in Port Everglades on 19 November. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus) . Additional cleaning staff and staff from the Vessel Sanitation Program of the CDC will board the ship in Phillipsburg (Sint Maarten) on 16 November. Revised numbers (according to Cruise Critic) 14 November: 154 of 1166 (13.2%) crew and 556 of 2804 (19.8%) pax	CDC
November 12	Adventure of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger: We just returned from a 7 night southern Caribbean cruise (Nov 5-12). Many reports of illness circulated among the passengers -- the shows were pretty empty and the deck was pretty empty as well. On the fifth or sixth day, passengers received a letter stating that an abnormally large number of passengers had become ill but they didn't think there would be any adverse effect on the cruise. There were multiple reports of passengers quarantined to their rooms. When we returned to the ship in St Maarten, the family in front of us were told to report directly to the medical facility. That night, our wait staff said the CDC was returning for a second visit during that cruise. Our stateroom attendant said she was with the ship for five years and had never seen so many stricken. There was no notification to the passengers of the severity of the outbreak. The CDC subsequently reported that 1 of 1174 (0.08%) crew and 129 of 3260 (3.96%) passengers had reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus.	PAX -- CDC
November 11	Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 9 of 854 (1.05%) crew and 68 of 2023 (3.36%) passengers had reported ill on the 29 October - 11 November cruise from San Diego (California) to San Juan (Puerto Rico). Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
November 7	Constellation Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 13 of 967 (1.34%) crew and 72 of 1776 (4.05%) passengers had reported ill on the 27 October - 7 November cruise to the Western Caribbean, leaving from and returning to Cape Liberty, NJ. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	CDC
November 5	Island Princess Princess Cruises	The ship reported that 11 of 905 (1.22%) crew and 109 of 1959 (5.56%) passengers had reported ill on the 21 October - 5 November cruise to Hawai'i, leaving from and returning to Los Angeles. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).	CDC
October 27	Constellation Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 1 of 978 (0.10%) crew and 65 of 1955 (3.32%) passengers had reported ill on the 16 - 27 October cruise to the Northeast and Canada, leaving from and returning to Cape Liberty, NJ. Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).	CDC
October 22	Mississippi Queen Majestic America Line	Ten passengers remain hospitalized with gastro-intestinal illness after at least 36 passengers complained of illness, forcing the ship to dock at Paducah, Kentucky. The illness affected approximately 6% of the 525 passengers. The illness affected approximately 20% of passengers and crew. The cruise was ended 2 days early and the ship was cleaned while it returned (passenger-less) to St. Louis. The seven day cruise beginning October 25 was canceled the second day after 12 passengers reported ill with norovirus. Passengers were disembarked at Hannibal and bussed back to St. Louis. The cruise scheduled for November 1 has also been canceled so that the ship can be thoroughly and completely disinfected.	Media
September 9	Diamond Princess Princess Cruises	Just got off the Diamond Princess cruise to Alaska - 9/2 - 9/9/06 .. ship was delayed on 9/2/06 by three hours due to the norovirus on the previous cruise. Before boarding we were given "Precaution Health Advisory Norovirus" letters - from Dr Grant Tarling, warning us of the illness and the precautionary measures we should take. We received another "Health Advisory Update" letter on Thursday, 9/7/06 stating that over the last 24 hours they had "noticed an increase in new cases strongly suggestive of Norovirus" and requested our continued support with their recommended health precautions. CDC reports 4 of 1120 crew (0.36%) and 127 of 2643 passengers (4.81%) were reported as ill.	PAX -- CDC
September 7	Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 12 of 870 (1.37%) crew and 227 of 2131 (10.66%) passengers were ill. The symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus). The 7 day Alaska cruise will end in Seward on September 9.	CDC
August 31	Ivory Louis Cruises	Twenty-seven passengers, ten of them children, came down with diarrhea, fever and vomiting yesterday on a cruise to the Greek islands. The company says the illness is from a virus (i.e., norovirus) and disputed newspapers which said the illness was from food poisoning.	Media
August 26	Diamond Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger: Norovirus was reported on Aug 27 and the ship's Doctor sent out several memos. Capt also mentioned hygienic precautions in at least one noontime report from the bridge. Cruise director also came down with it and spent 2 days in his cabin. Each dining room had a list of cabin numbers in quarantine. You had to give your cabin number to enter the dining room. I got a peek at the list and there were three pages of probably 20 entries per page. Would estimate minimum of 60 cases that were reported. Suspect there were many others who were sick but did not report because they did not want to be quarantined.	PAX
August 24	Diamond Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger on the cruise embarking August 19: Spike in GI incidence Thursday morning Aug. 24, 2006 (day 5)after being in port in Skagway day before. At noon hour staff in Horizon Court began serving all food & bread baskets no longer on table in dining room. Captain made an announcement late afternoon advising of increased precautions & encouraging all passengers to use hand sanitizers. Masked, gloved crew members observed removing cabin linens into sealed plastic bags. Numbers affected unknown.	PAX
July 29	Mariner of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	There was an outbreak of what appears to be norovirus. 328 of 3660 passengers (8.96%) and 6 of 1202 crew members (0.5%) reported illness. The ship returns to Port Canaveral on Sunday from a seven day cruise in the Caribbean. The ship's last outbreak was in January 2005.	Media
July 18	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	Health Canada reported that 20 of 952 (2.10%) crew and 105 of 2282 (4.60%) passengers were ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus. The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Vancouver on June 16.	Media / CDC
July 4	Black Prince Fred Olsen Cruise Lines	About 105 passengers have been affected by a vomiting virus similar to the one that hit the vessel earlier in June. On that trip, 136 passengers were confirmed to have been affected by norovirus. A hand full of passengers were ill on the cruise that followed and then a large outbreak on the current cruise which left Leith on June 22 and returned from its 13 day excursion of Iceland and Greenland on July 5. The ship will be thoroughly disinfected before the next cruise (including replacement of carpets and some furnishings).	Media
June 11 - 18	Norwegian Spirit Norwegian Cruise Line	A passenger wrote on July 13 saying she had received an email from the CDC inquiring about the gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the Norwegian Spririt's June 11 sailing.	PAX
June 11	Pride of Aloha NCL America	From a passenger: My family just went on a cruise in Hawaii on NCL's Pride of Aloha when GI broke out (or continued to break out). In a letter dated June 4, NCL informs passengers that 3.2% of the previous cruise's passengers took ill with GI. News reports at the time stated about 60 people. (They were offering people another cruise if they didn't want to board). By the end of our cruise, the new letter from NCL, which was undated but that I picked up on June 10 at the reception desk, stated that 10% of passengers AND crew took ill with GI. If the ship was at or near capacity, then it's looking at roughly 300 people. (In this letter they were offering people a refund if they didn't want to board).	PAX
June 10	Oosterdam Holland America Line	Messages from several passengers report there was a small outbreak on the Alaska cruise ending today in Seattle -- the numbers may have been less than 3% (i.e., less than 55). According to one passenger: "...passengers and crew became sick (total of about 36 I heard) with a stomach virus. The ship began taking precautions against contamination beginning about Tuesday (salt and pepper shakers disappeared, some crew wore gloves and masks, they were spraying something around the ship, lots of Purell being offered, etc.), but other than warnings to wash your hands and not shake hands, Holland America did not tell us much of what was going on."	PAX
June 10	Van Gogh Travelscope Holidays	After a week off, the number of people becoming ill was greatly reduced, though still significant. Twenty-eight of 550 (5.09%) passengers reported ill on the cruise ending today at Harwich, Essex.	Media
June 9	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 4 of 848 (0.487%) crew and 121 of 2025 (5.98%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Seattle on June 9.	CDC
June 9	Black Prince Fred Olsen Cruise Lines	126 of 412 (30%) passengers contracted gastrointestinal intestinal illness during the current cruise (84 (20.38%) were reportedly quarantined). The ship left Leith, Edinburgh on a seven day cruise to the Norwegian fjords and is due back in port on Saturday. It will depart for its next cruise one day late in order to fully sanitize the ship.	Media
June 9	Funchal Travelscope Holidays	Sixty-three of 482 (13.07%) passengers have been quarantined during the current cruise because of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness. The two-week cruise began in Dundee and ends today in Hull. It will undergo a "deep clean" before proceeding on its next cruise.	Media
June 7	Pacific Sun P&O Australia	Shortly after leaving May 30 for a 10 day cruise up the Queensland coast to Port Douglas and Willis Island, gastrointestinal illness (believed for be norovirus) spread around the ship. The cruise line said 60 passengers were quarantined; passengers onboard said the number ill could be in the hundreds.	Media
June 6	Pacific Princess Princess Cruises	A passenger reports at Cruise Critic on an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness affecting more than 40 passengers (5.88% of the 680 onboard). The outbreak appeared to be kept under control through usual measures such as closing buffets and public areas and requiring use of sanitizers. The ship is cruising southeast Asia.	PAX
June 4	Ryndam Holland America Line	On June 2, the ship reported that 5 of 574 (0.87%) crew and 64 of 1230 (5.2%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Vancouver on June 4.	CDC
June 4	Pride of Aloha NCL America	According to KHON-2 in Honolulu, 60 passengers were quarantined this past week after a virus spread through the ship. Crew said staff had been coming down sick for weeks. Guests said they weren't told of the outbreak but did notice extra precautions being taken.	Media
May 31	Sea Princess Princess Cruises	The ship will skip Lisbon and end its current cruise a day early because of a norovirus outbreak. (The ship anchored at Vigo but passengers were no allowed to disembark.) Many fell sick within 24 hours of embarkation; there had been a similar outbreak on the previous cruise. The Mirror reports that 215 passengers and 15 crew had fallen sick on the current cruise and there were similar numbers the cruise before. (The ship anchored at Vigo but passengers were no allowed to disembark.)	Media
May 29	Coral Princess Princess Cruises	As passengers boarded they were asked to sign a statement indicating they had been notified that norovirus was onboard. An unknown number of passenger were ill the previous cruise and the cruise ending June 5.	PAX
May 29	Van Gogh Travelscope Holidays	The ship was detained by the coastguard because of an outbreak of norovirus. More than 100 of 750 passengers and crew reported illness. According to the BBC, "After discussions with the Harwich port health inspectors and the director of public health, the coastguard decided to detain the ship for at least 48 hours while the "vessel and the crew were monitored for further outbreaks". A passenger writes: The departure was delayed, we were informed it was due to housekeeping. We later learnt that many had been ill on the previous cruise (rumoured to be 178) and that the port authorities had required further cleaning to be carried out. This passenger estimated that half of all passengers had become ill during the cruise. The company apologized for canceling the next cruise; the ship will resume cruising June 3.	Media
May 22	Norwegian Sun Norwegian Cruise Line	On May 21, the ship reported that 6 of 924 (0.65%) crew and 71 of 2107 (3.37%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Seattle.	CDC
May 21	Norwegian Star Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship was thoroughly sanitized after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the May 14-21 Alaska cruise. According to the CDC, 115 of 2388 (4.82%) passengers and 12 of 1063 (1.13%) crew members reported ill. According to Associated Press, sick passengers were quarantined and seven were put off the ship in Skagway. Embarking passengers were told of the illness.	CDC and Media
May 21	Ryndam Holland America Line	According to passengers, a "Code Red" was called the second night of the cruise due to gastro intestinal illness on board. The Spa and the 2 public jacuzzi pools were closed, all meal service was conducted on a strictly controlled access basis - no self serve and staff wore vinyl gloves for practically all tasks. The onboard shops didn't allow passengers to try on any necklaces, watches, or rings. During the cruise, several more obvious crew members became ill - the Piano bar pianist, the Bingo caller/Asst cruise director. While the Captain continued to reassure passengers that no actual problem existed, many passengers were missing from dinner tables and quarantined to their cabins. One staff reported that 50 passengers had reported sick; a passenger heard that as many as 50 crew had become ill. The CDC posted on their site June 7th (dated May 21) that 102 of 1279 (7.97%) passengers and 13 of 570 (2.28%) of crew.	PAX and CDC
May 19	Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Line	According to those onboard, many passengers (up to one-third) contracted gastrointestinal illness during the cruise 12 day cruise ending today in Civitivecchia. By the end of the cruise, all the dishes and silverware had been removed from the buffets and passengers had to be handed their plates with their food selections by the kitchen staff. Half way through the cruise, Carnival employees began scrubbing down all common area surfaces such as outdoor furniture, decks and walls while wearing masks and gloves. The crew all wore gloves to handle "sign and sail" cards, etc.	PAX
May 9	Veendam Holland America Line	On May 9, the ship reported that 8 of 556 (1.41%) crew and 67 of 1214 (5.52%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. The 17 day cruise arrived in San Diego, from where it left on April 22.	CDC
April 30	Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On April 30, the ship reported that 15 of 1188 (1.26%) crew and 117 of 3292 (3.6%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. The 7 day cruise arrived in Miami, from where it left on April 23.	CDC
April 5 - 20	Rotterdam Holland America Line	After an hour delay, passengers boarding for the transatlantic crossing from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon were given a questionnaire to fill in about health issues, told there had been a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the last cruise, and given the option to cancel the cruise (this at the last minute, after having traveled to Rio). On the ship there was no self service at the Lido etc, not even for coffee; all hot tubs, the library etc. was closed; no shaking of hands, no salt and pepper, bread/butter on the table etc., everything was provided by the crew. According to one passenger: They were fumigating all the time, even in the middle of the night, when I woke up because of the noise the machine was making. When I opened my door I saw a man with a mask and tank, who stopped immediately. The crew would not say how many persons were ill. On day 8, cruise passengers were told the outbreak was over and self service at the buffets etc. would start again. They kept spraying all through the end of the cruise, which sometimes hurt my eyes and made breathing a bit difficult during short time. We heard about several people who had gone in quarantine after reporting ill.	PAX
April 17	Statendam Holland America Line	Several hundred passengers and crew took ill due to Norwalk virus on the cruise which began in Osaka on April 3 and ended today in Hong Kong. The ship had guests fill out a health questionnaire prior to embarking in Osaka, which was a sign of things to come. The illness broke out in code red by day 3 with 75 cases and spread like wildfire. Several hundred passengers were ill by the cruise end. This apparently has been on-going since February, according to the crew, but this breakout was the worst. The ship was being fumigated room by room and all facilities were closed down throughout the cruise due to cleaning and the spread of the illness. Guests embarking on 4/17/06 were also filling out the same questionnaire and the vessel was to be in code red for at least the first four days of the subsequent sailing. According to a passenger on that cruise: There were many restrictions during the cruise. Regardless, many people were ill, although Holland America staff downplayed just how many. Infected people and their traveling companions were quarantined to their cabins for the duration of their illness plus one day. Room service was to deliver meals, but they were hard to reach, probably due to all the calls they were receiving. NOTE: This outbreak will not be reported by the CDC because the ship does not visit US ports.	PAX
April 16	Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Passengers returning from the April 9-16 cruise report there was a norovirus outbreak during the cruise. Reportedly, a letter was received midweek from the captain saying there was an outbreak and there would be increased cleaning procedures. The ship’s crew kicked into high gear. We were served buffet items by crew members instead of self serve. I overheard a crew member being told by his supervisor to not shake hands with anyone. Cleaning procedures were very obvious and frequent. The CDC reports 8 crew (0.03%) and 72 passengers (3.06) reported ill.	PAX -- CDC
April	Sea Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger: My wife and I both got the Norwalk virus on the second 14 day cruise on the Sea Princess in April, 2006. Helen got it first and than me. They really had a big break-out but really tried to cover it up. I asked the doctor how many cases they had on board and he told me a few. When he was preparing a shot for me in the outer room, I noticed a computer listing(listed all the cases by cabin and date,etc.) on his desk. IT WAS NOT JUST A FEW-the list looked(I glanced it for about 3-4 minutes) to be about 40/page and covered about 10 pages!!!! The doctor did not notice that I saw it but he did turn it over when he came back into his office. The crew was told to say nothing to us but our cabin attendant told us they had hundreds of sick passengers and crew. I should have suspected something was really wrong when they were cleaning everything all over the ship.	PAX
April 7	Amsterdam Holland America Line	For the second cruise in a row the ship has reported an elevated number of passengers and crew with gastrointestinal illness. On April 6, the ship’s medical staff reported that 8 of 605 (1.32%) crew and 76 of 1294 (5.87%) passengers were ill. The 15-day Hawaiian cruise ended in San Diego on April 6.	CDC
April 4	Carnival Victory Carnival Cruise Line	Many reports have been received from passengers on the March 26 - April 2 cruise (Eastern Caribbean from Miami) indicating a gastrointestinal illness outbreak. One passenger was told by the ship's infirmary that over 200 people had been treated for the Norwalk virus by day 5. There have been no reports yet by the CDC.	PAX
April 1	Artemis P&O Cruises	Reports from onboard indicate that there is a gastro bug onboard and that only the dining room is open to everyone. Toilets and other rooms have been closed off. If information is made available (which is unlikely unless the ship stops as a US port), it will be posted here.	PAX
March 27	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the ship returned from a 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise during which 107 of 1976 (5.41%) passengers and 24 of 841 (2.85%) crew members reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus. The cruise line's Director of Corporate Communications said the virus was brought on board by a guest, but the fact is that this is the second cruise in a row with the illness -- it was likely already on the ship.	CDC and Media
March 22	Island Princess Princess Cruises	On March 14, 2006, Princess Cruises reported that an elevated number of Island Princess passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting. On March 21, the ship’s medical staff reported that 16 of 911 (1.76%) crew and 72 of 1950 (3.69%) passengers were ill. The ship returns to Los Angeles from a 15 day Hawaii cruise on March 22	CDC
March 21	Amsterdam Holland America Line	On March 13, 2006, Holland America Cruise Line reported that an elevated number of Amsterdam passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting. On March 21, the ship’s medical staff reported that 8 of 606 (1.32%) crew and 134 of 1360 (9.85%) passengers were ill. The ship returns to San Diego from a 15 day Hawaii cruise on March 22.	CDC
March 17	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	On March 14, 2006, Celebrity Cruises reported that an elevated number of passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis, mainly diarrhea and vomiting. On March 17, the ship’s medical staff indicated 14 of 840 (1.67%) crew and 191 of 1902 (10.04%) passengers had reported ill. The ship is on an 11 night Mexican Riviera cruise due to end in San Diego on March 17.	CDC
March 16	Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On March 16, the ship reported that 25 (3.32%) crew and 20 (0.85%) passengers were ill. The ship was on a 5-day cruise from Tampa to Costa Maya and Cozumel.	CDC
March 13	Volendam Holland America Line	On March 13, 2006, Holland America Cruise Line reported that an elevated number of Volendam passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting. On March 21, the ship’s medical staff reported that 3 of 613 (0.49%) crew and 51 of 1412 (3.61%) passengers were ill. The ship returned to Port Everglades March 17 from a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise.	CDC
March 12	Funchal Classic International Cruises	Seven passengers were admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital (Hobart, Australia) and 20 more received emergency medical treatment after a health scare on a visiting cruise ship. The hospital's emergency department was inundated with tourists suffering respiratory illness after international cruise liner Funchal docked in Hobart on Friday. The Australian holidaymakers were in their final week of a 35-night "around the continent" cruise, visiting various Australian locations including Broome, Darwin, the Whitsundays and Melbourne, as well as a stopover in East Timor.	Media
March 12	Seadream I Seadream Cruises	On March 12, the ship reported that 3 crew (3.23%) and 1 passenger (0.96) reported ill. The ship was on a 5-day cruise from Tampa to Costa Maya and Cozumel.	CDC
March 11	Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On March 8, 2006, RCI reported to the CDC that an elevated number of passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptom is diarrhea and vomiting. On March 11, the ship reported that 11 of 754 (1.46%) crew and 130 of 2263 (5.74%) passengers were ill. The ship was on a 5-day cruise from Tampa to Costa Maya and Cozumel. More than 100 passengers were confined in their rooms when the ship was in Cozumel because Mexican officials were afraid the virus would spread on land.	CDC
March 9	Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Cruises	On March 5, 2006, RSSC reported to the CDC that an elevated number of Seven Seas Mariner passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptom is diarrhea. On March 12, the ship’s medical staff reported that 13 of 444 (2.93%) crew and 26 of 582 (4.47%) passengers were ill. The ship left Callao (Peru) Feb 28 and arrives on March 13 in Fort Lauderdale.	CDC
March 2	Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On February 28, 2006, RCI reported to the CDC that an elevated number of Explorer of the Seas passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis. On March 4, the ship reported that 20 of 1184 (2.1%) crew were and 252 of 3252 (7.77%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting. The cruise began February 26 and ends March 5 in Miami. From a passenger: I just got off of that cruise. About 25 out of the 60 in our group was sick. There were also a lot more people sick than they stated. I was recovering waiting in the nurses station on Tuesday when they declared it an epidemic and that the ship was on red alert. The last bit I had heard was that there were close to 400 cabins listed as under a 24 hour quarantine by Wednesday. People we talked to had stopped reporting to the infirmary for fear of not being able to disembark on any of the islands when they were feeling better.	CDC Media
February 27	Queen Mary 2 Cunard Line	Centres for Disease Control report that an elevated number of Queen Mary 2 passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis. On February 22, the ship’s medical staff reported that 31 of 1271 (2.44%) crew were ill and 86 of 2498 (3.44%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptom was diarrhea. The 14 day voyage concluded on February 22, 2006, (sailing dates: 02/08/2006-02/22/2006) in Los Angeles, CA. It was later concluded that the illness was caused by E coli.	CDC
January 25	Minerva II P&O Cruises	CDC reports that 24 of 562 (4.27%) passengers and 3 of 326 (0.92%) crew had reported being ill.. The predominant symptom was diarrhea. The ship is on a 14 day cruise cunning 1/12 - 1-26, ending in San Francisco.	CDC
January 18	Oriana P&O Cruises	There are reports of a norovirus outbreak on the current cruise which began January 8. The ship is embarked on a world cruise.	MEDIA
January 14	Zuiderdam Holland America Line	Upon arrival onto the ship, passengers were given a notice that about 2% of the previous passengers and crew reported ill with norovirus-like symptoms (2% = 54 passengers and crew). Passengers were offered a full refund or to take the cruise. According to one passenger, Holland America had "Purell" sanitizers EVERYWHERE. No touching of buffet tongs, no salt and pepper shakers, no jacuzzi, no sauna, no hand shaking, yada, yada. Daily announcements from the cruise director and Captain. Some passengers reported illness.	PAX
January 14	Zenith Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 20 (3.09%) crew and 17 of 1691 (1.22%) passengers had reported ill on the 9 - 14 January cruise.	CDC
January 11	Rotterdam Holland America Line	From a passenger: I just completed a cruise on Holland America's Rotterdam (December 20 - January 11, ending in Valparaiso, Chile), and at least 125 passengers and crew were ill with norwalk-like virus symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Although every possible measure was being taken to deal with it (daily announcements, memos, staff using gloves and disinfectants) -- it still was a very difficult situation. One of our concerns was that the staff was told clearly not to discuss it, and/or to minimize the situation -- this resulted in a lot of mixed signals coming from the staff - those who were telling the truth, and those who were covering up the events. When a passenger died on board (apparently of natural causes, and not related to the epidemic), again, the attempt at cover-up was obvious.	PAX
January 4	Zuiderdam Holland America Line	On day 3 of a 7 day cruise the ship reported that 94 of 1888 (4.98%) passengers and 27 of 814 (3.32%) crew had reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus. The ship is due back in Fort Lauderdale on January 7. Note: A passenger reported an outbreak at the end of the previous cruise. Numbers were revised on January 6: 50 of 814 (6.14%) crew reported ill and a survey of passengers found that 155 of 1023 respondents (15.2%) reported they were also ill. From a passenger: Boarded on Dec. 30. By Dec 31 my boyfriend was really ill so got immodium from ships medical staff. The crew asked so many questions I inquired if there was a problem. They lied and said no. By that night my boyfriend and I were quarantined (without the staff even seeing him let alone giving a physical). By Sunday there were many quarantined passengers and we decided to disembark early. The ship's guest relation supervisor said he booked us a flight out of St Thomas -- we arrived at airport to find out Holland America staff lied ....THE FLIGHT TICKETS WERE NEVER BOOKED. The ship left us sick, dehydrated and stranded without a care.	CDC
Of interest? "Cruise-Ship-Associated Legionnaires Disease, November 2003 - May 2004," from Journal of the American Medical Association, December 28, 2005