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Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreak on Royal Caribbean Cruise

Over 90 individuals on a Royal Caribbean International cruise have reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, prompting an investigation into the source of the outbreak.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement revealing that 89 passengers and 2 crew members aboard the Radiance of the Seas are affected by an unidentified “causative agent.”

The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program noted that the outbreak was identified on February 4, halfway through the cruise’s eight-day itinerary. According to USA Today, the cruise set sail from Tampa, Florida, on Saturday.

In response to the outbreak, Royal Caribbean International and the ship’s crew have taken action by collecting stool samples from those who are symptomatic and isolating affected individuals. They are closely coordinating with the CDC while implementing enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols as part of their outbreak prevention and response strategy.

According to the CDC, the ship is carrying a total of 2,164 passengers along with 910 crew members.

Furthermore, the CDC is actively monitoring the situation, evaluating the ship’s response to the outbreak and its sanitation practices.

The agency explained that gastrointestinal illnesses commonly refer to acute gastroenteritis, a condition characterized by symptoms like watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting, and sometimes fever, as noted by the Mayo Clinic.

Acute gastroenteritis can be caused by consuming contaminated food or water and may also spread through contact with infected individuals.

Norovirus is frequently the cause of such outbreaks on cruise ships, as stated by the CDC, although the exact source of an outbreak may not always be immediately identified. The process of determining the causative agent can be time-consuming, requiring testing of samples from those exhibiting symptoms. Currently, the test results for this incident are pending verification.

The cause of this particular outbreak remains undetermined, according to the CDC.

In a precautionary measure, Royal Caribbean Group representatives indicated that enhanced safety protocols have been established onboard to safeguard the health of guests and crew alike, as reported by USA Today.

Royal Caribbean has not yet provided a response to inquiries regarding the outbreak.

This incident is reminiscent of a similar occurrence in September 2024, where 180 individuals aboard the Radiance of the Seas suffered from gastrointestinal illnesses linked to salmonella during a voyage from Vancouver to Alaska, as documented by the CDC.

Source
people.com