A British cruise line says one of its ships is sailing to Canada as planned despite evidence of a possible norovirus outbreak following a visit to the USA, which included a stop in Portland on Sunday.
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Over a quarter of the 919 passengers aboard the Balmoral cruise ship fell ill with the stomach virus which causes vomiting and usually last for two days.
The CDC said the cruise line has increased disinfection procedures, collected stool specimens from passengers and sent the public health and sanitation manager from the cruise line’s corporate office to oversee sanitation procedures. Two CDC environmental health officers and an epidemiologist boarded the ship when it arrived in Baltimore on April 30 to May 1 to evaluate the situation and direct response activities to treat the norovirus outbreak.
Most of those on board are British, the ship’s owners, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, said in a statement last month.
The DCD has reported 10 outbreaks on ships docked in the United States so far this year, compared with 12 for the entirety of 2015. As of this writing, it is headed for Saint John in New Brunswick.
WMTW News 8 has reached out to Fred Olsen Cruises and the city for comment.
The CDC said 252 of the 919 passengers on board a British cruise to North America have contracted the winter vomiting bug, also known as norovirus.
The month-long “Old England to New England” cruise contained two USA nationals, while the majority of the passengers were from the United Kingdom.
But it is far from the first time the Balmoral, now docked in Portland, Maine, has been struck by a viral outbreak.
Passengers with severe cases will be quarantined to their cabins on board, Grondin said.
When the Balmoral docked in Portland, witnesses said they had seen surfaces being constantly wiped down.
The highly contagious norovirus stomach illness is often found where large numbers of people are in close contact.
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The ship set out from Southampton, England, on 16 April and is due to return on 20 May.
