More than 240 staff and crew fall ill on cruise ship
More than 240 people have been sickened by a norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship.
The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there has been a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the Cunard Line ship Queen Mary 2.
According to Cunard’s website, the ship sailed from Southampton in England, to New York and then to the Caribbean before going back to Southampton. The voyage started on March 8 and ends on April 6.
In total, 224 of 2,538 passengers have reported being ill during the voyage as well as 17 crew members. The main symptoms have been diarrhea and vomiting.
The outbreak was reported to CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program on March 18 and made public on March 31.
In response to the incident, Cunard Line and the crew have increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan; collected stool specimens from cases for testing; and isolated ill passengers and crew.
Norovirus, a highly contagious virus, can cause symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach cramps within 12 to 48 hours of exposure, typically lasting one to three days. It can be easily spread from person to person, contaminated objects, food, and water.
CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program has recorded 12 outbreaks so far in 2025 with 10 because of norovirus.
A Silversea Cruises ship reported 51 of 681 passengers and five crew were sick due to E. coli in January. In the same month, a suspected Ciguatera outbreak on Sea Cloud Cruises affected 28 of 93 crew members but no passengers.
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