Health Outbreaks at Sea in 2015

Source: www.cruisejunkie.com

Illness Outbreaks on Cruise Ships

2015

	2013 Box Score				2014 Box Score				2015 Box Score
Illness:	# of reports	Pax Sick	Crew Sick	Total Sick	# of reports	Pax Sick	Crew Sick	Total Sick	# of reports	Pax Sick	Crew Sick	Total Sick
Gastrointestinal (including Noro virus)	21	2189	126	2315	15	3223	125	3348	23	2458	112	2570
E coli	1	60	10	70	1	122	30	152
Salmonella
Shigella
Other					1	9	50	59
Total	22	2249	136	2385	17	3354	205	3559	23	2458	112	2570
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.

Summary of Illness Outbreaks, 2002 - 2014
(Click on Year for More Detail)

Year	# of Reports	Total Sick
2002	43	3530
2003	44	3556
2004	42	3675
2005	35	4674
2006	54	7215
2007	42	4577
2008	39	3743
2009	30	4197
2010	37	7101
2011	23	1971
2012	34	5542
2013	22	2385
2014	14	3559

Date	Ship Cruise Line	Event	Source
December 28	Pacific Eden P&O Australia	Sydney Morning Herald reports P&O confirmed about 60 of the 1500 people (4%) on board were taken ill with norovirus as the ship made its way from Sydney to Cairns and back over Christmas. It was the second outbreak of the Pacific Eden's short life - she joined the fleet on November 25 after being purchased and refurbished by P&O. The voyage was beset by drama before it even began, with a gastro outbreak on the previous trip necessitating a full sanitation of the ship and delaying departure by three to four hours.	Media
December 24	Veendam Holland America Line	CDC reports 73 of 1429 passengers (5.11%) and 11 of 588 crew (1.87%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness.A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer will board the ship in San Diego, CA on December 27, 2015 to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. The cruise began December 20th.	CDC
December 15	Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Sydney Morning Herald reports more than 180 passengers and crew members on a cruise ship that docked in Sydney on Wednesday morning have been struck down with gastro, health authorities say. Royal Caribbean, the operators of the Explorer of the Seas, notified the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District of the outbreak on board, which affected 182 people. NSW Ambulance paramedics were on standby when the ship docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at The Rocks just before 6am. The Explorer of the Seas cruise ship docked in Sydney this morning. The Explorer of the Seas cruise ship docked in Sydney this morning. None of the passengers were taken to hospital for treatment. The ship, which had left Sydney on December 2 on a 14-night cruise, is due to take on more passengers before leaving Sydney on Wednesday afternoon. NOTE: Illness outbreaks on ships operating from non-US ports are not required to report the number of ill passengers and crew to US authorities.	Media
November 30	Riviera Oceania Cruises	CDC reports 74 of 1160 passengers (6.38%) and 12 of 776 crew (1.55%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness.Three CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers will board the ship in Miami, FL on December 2, 2015 to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. The cruise began November 18th.	CDC
October 30	Azura P&O Cruises	Cruise Critic reports the ship's embarkation has been delayed in Southampton due to a Norovirus outbreak onboard; itis being deep cleaned today (October 30) and passengers are being asked to arrive five hours later than planned, with the ship setting sail at 8.30 p.m. (GMT) tonight. A statement posted to the line's Facebook page yesterday (October 29) states: passengers should be aware that there has been an increase in gastrointestinal illness on board caused by Norovirus; as a result, embarkation will be starting 5 hours later than originally planned.	Web
October 24	Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Canberra Times reports Royal Caribbean said that following the eight night sailing, the ship and terminal underwent an "enhanced cleaning and sanitisation", and that relevant health authorities were alerted. She said of 2661 total passengers, 1802 guests and 859 crew, 175 reported feeling sick. While at sea, the cruise asks anyone with symptoms to advise staff on the ship as soon as possible. "As well, all new guests embarking receive a letter at boarding that asks them to advise if they have experienced any gastrointestinal symptoms within the last three days – it is very important that guests advise us of any illness," she said.	Media
October 4	Star Princess Princess Cruises	CBC reports atleast one norovirus-stricken Star Princess passenger flew home from Hawaii after getting seriously ill on a dream cruise that stopped for cleaning in Vancouver. "We've stopped at four ports and every day there was people being taken off with the ambulances and stuff," said passenger Chuck Woodcock from Seattle. The cruise ship docked in the early morning of Oct. 4 in Vancouver after completing a 15-day Hawaiian cruise. The number ill is reported to be 80.	Media
July 1	Ryndam Holland America Line	Cruise Critic reports the ship has been forced to cut short a 14-day round-trip cruise from the U.K. due to a Norovirus outbreak. It will return to Harwich a day early, on Friday July 3, so staff can perform a deep clean before its next cruise. The upcoming cruise, the 14-day Voyage of the Midnight Sun, is scheduled to depart on time July 4, 2015.	Media
June 16	Balmoral Fred Olsen Cruises	Daily Mail reports the ship has been hit by an outbreak of norovirus which is believed to have affected 'hundreds' of passengers on board. This afternoon Fred Olsen Cruise Lines confirmed the outbreak and announced it was cancelling a three-day 'mini-cruise' due to take place on Saturday. Last month MailOnline reported passengers on board the ship were hit by a vomiting bug which ‘ruined’ their eight-day cruise - prompting them to take legal action against the company. The ship is currently docked in the port of Skagen in Denmark, with passengers struck down with the virus confined to their rooms for a minimum of two days. Peter Boag, a 67-year-old black cab driver from north London who paid over £1,000 for the cruise, told MailOnline that passengers started to become ill on the day two of the 11-day cruise which departed on June 9 - and that he believes more than 100 passengers have been ill so far.	Media
May 28	Prinses Christina TransRiver Line	NL Times reports 25 passengers caught a virus and became ill during a trip on the Rijn. German doctors and emergency services boarded the cruise ship on Wednesday night in Boppard, in the German State of Rhineland. They determined that the infection is not life threatening and the ill passengers are stable. According to the German water police, there are about 100 people on board. The three deck cruise ship has a capacity of 107. The passengers are believed to have been infected by the norovirus, a spokesperson for the owner of the ship, Trans RIver Line, said today.	Media
May 23	Balmoral Fred Olsen Cruises	Daily Mail reports passengers have been struck down by an outbreak of gastric illness and confined to their cabins for the second time this month on the ship. It is not known how many passengers have been hit by the vomiting bug; the cruise line confirmed staff are attempting to contain an ‘extremely contagious gastric illness’, just days after the ship underwent a ‘deep clean’ in response to an earlier outbreak. Passengers who have been struck down by the bug on the MV Balmoral are being confined to their cabins. A relative of a passenger who is currently on board the Balmoral said quarantine restrictions have been imposed at least twice during the 13-night return journey from Southampton to the Azores and Madeira. The relative told MailOnline Travel at least one swimming pool and casino tables were made off-limits to those on the vessel. It left the UK on May 11 and is scheduled to return on Sunday.	Media
May 12	Star Princess Princess Cruises	CDC reports 138 of 2597 passengers (5.31%) and 18 of 1094 crew (1.65%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. Two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and two Epidemiologists will board the ship in San Francisco, CA on May 14, 2015 to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. The ship was on a 16 day cruise.	CDC
May 10	Balmoral Fred Olsen Cruises	Cruise Critic posters report the ship returned to Southampton one day early from its Norwegian fjords cruise because of an illness outbreak on the ship. Some estimates are that as many as 25% of passengers and crew were effected. The Daily Echo reports says approximately 250 passengers became ill. UPDATE:Daily Mail reports passengers who were hit by a vomiting bug that ‘ruined’ their eight-day cruise to Norway are taking legal action against Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Martin D’Arcy, one of the passengers who has contacted lawyers, claims he was confined to his cabin with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever.	Pax/ Media
May 8	Star Princess Princess Cruises	Cruise Law News reports that news sources in Hawaii are reporting that dozens of Princess cruise ship passengers have been quarantined on Maui after a norovirus outbreak. Newspapers are saying the ship is ported at Lahaina. According to the local health department, around 30 people are quarantined in their rooms. Princess Cruises notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but here is no official CDC information because there is no need for the CDC to make a report to the public unless 3% or more of the cruise passengers or crew are ill. Hawaii News Now subsequently reported a spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said a total of about 100 passengers were affected by the virus over several days.	Media
May 7	Marina Oceania Cruises	CDC reports 69 of 1185 passengers (5.82%) and 11 of 769 crew (1.43%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The CDC Vessel Sanitation Program conducted an unannounced operational inspection of the ship in Miami on 3 May, 2015, and will continue to monitor the outbreak, providing epidemiological support as needed. The ship was on a 16 day cruise.	CDC
May 1	Maasdam Holland America Line	CDC reports 67 of 1138 passengers (5.89%) and 12 of 578 crew (2.08%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. One Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer will board the ship in Fort Lauderdale on May 1 to conduct an epidemiological investigation, an environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The ship was on a 14 day cruise.	CDC
April 26	Coral Princess Princess Cruises	CDC reports 99 of 1958 passengers (5.06%) and 12 of 881 crew (1.36%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. One Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer will board the ship in Los Angeles on April 27 to conduct an epidemiological investigation, an environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The ship was on a 15 day cruise.	CDC
April 20	Scenic Emerald Scenic Cruises	From a passenger: I noticed immediately we boarded that the hand sanitisers at the entrance to the restaurant were not working. When I pointed this out I was told that this was because they were awaiting replacement batteries. On complaining, I was offered a sanitiser bottle for my own use but I had to point out that everyone should be sanitising their hands before eating not just me. I was very surprised that I had to point this out. On the Saturday (6 days into the cruise) we were told that there was what was believed to be a gastrointestinal virus on the ship and that an increasing number of people were becoming ill. At this stage, one of the portable sanitisers from the reception area was placed outside the restaurant and we were advised to use it. The next day I came down with the virus and, as a result, missed the Beaujolais visit (which would have been one of the highlights for me) and the Captain’s dinner, amongst other things. I believe that my illness was a direct result of the poor hygiene regime aboard the ship and so was completely avoidable. I wrote to complain after the cruise and had to send a reminder after four weeks. The eventual reply was superficial and flippant and didn’t address the issues I had raised. When I complained again it took two and a half weeks for them to offer a discount on another holiday. As we would be unlikely to book again with Scenic, given the poor hygiene regime, I asked for a partial cash refund. They refused.	Pax
April 13	Legend of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The CDC reported 135 0f 1746 passengers (7.73%) and 7 of 748 crew (0.94%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness.One Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer and one epidemiologist will board the ship in San Diego on April 14 to conduct an epidemiological investigation, an environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The ship was on a 16 day cruise.	CDC
April 10	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	The CDC reported 106 0f 2117 passengers (5.00%) and 6 of 964 crew (0.62%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness.One Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer and one epidemiologist will board the ship in San Diego on April 13 to conduct an epidemiological investigation, an environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The ship was on a 16 day cruise.	CDC
April 6	Pearl Norwegian Cruise Line	The CDC reported 107 of 2472 passengers (4.37%) and 7 of 1062 crew (0.66%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness.Two Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers will board the ship in Miami to conduct an epidemiological investigation, an environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The ship was on an 11 day cruise. From a passenger: The reports coming from the CDC are not accurate. The captain said that 20% of the ship was sick. We have taken 20 cruises. We are not cruise virgins. Had medications for diarrhea from our doctor. Still, felt terrible the whole cruise. We would call some halls, including on deck 10, which we were on “red light districts”, noting the number of rooms on do not disturb. The smells were noxious. We were very close to getting quarantined. Took us over one hour to clear customs in St. Kitts. The last time we fell ill was in 2002 on RCL. I sent a notice of claims to the Supervisor of Customer Complaints and they gave a credit for another cruise.	CDC
March 19	Amsterdam Holland America Line	From a passenger: We are in our third week of code red sanitation restrictions due to serious Noro Virus...bacterial and viral effecting passengers . We are now in Mumbai. Irresponsible passengers continue to violate the voluntary quarantine and infect more passengers. The Captain told us last night that if passengers don't do their part to bring an end to the number of new cases, they may have to even cancel the cruise and to sanitize the ship. The crew have been fantastic, working overtime to clean the ship. We continue to see people who are contagious outside their cabin and using the Lido and public areas. NOTE: Cruise ships not operating from US ports are not required to report illness outbreaks. Thus, there will be no accurate reports of the number of passengers ill. UPDATE: We were off the ship for four days doing an overland trip in India to visit the Taj. We flew to catch up with the ship in Dubai yesterday. When the ship arrived in Port yesterday morning, the ship underwent a deep disinfecting, every cabin too, Ali the linens were changed too. I think about 100 passengers got off and about 70 new passengers got on. The ship is STILL in Code Red tonight. Same precautions in place, plus while E have been off the ship, they have closed the library, the fitness center as well as the Jacuzzis until further notice We sail for Oman tomorrow and have a sea day until we reach Oman.	Pax
February 22	Equinox Celebrity Cruises	The CDC reported 95 of 2896 passengers (3.28%) and 7 of 1209 crew (0.58%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness.Three Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and one epidemiologist will board the ship in Port Everglades to conduct an epidemiological investigation, an environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The ship was on a 10 day cruise.	CDC
February 3	Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	WBAL reports the ship returned to Balitmore one day early from a ten-day cruisebecause of an illness outbreak. Themedia reports 193 guests (9.91%) and 9 crew members (1.15%) experienced the illness. The CDC reported 178 of 1948 passengers (9.14%) and 9 of 786 crew (1.15%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness.Two Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers boarded the ship in Falmouth, Jamaica on January 30, 2015 to conduct an epidemiological investigation, an environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The ship was on a 10 day cruise.	CDC
		Go to Outbreaks 2014

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