This year’s cruise ship season begins to soaked in vomiting

The season of the epidemic of cruise ships this year reaches a fast, vomiting start. Two separate outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases that have affected over 100 people have been reported this month – the sixth and seventh such outbreaks that have happened aboard cruise ships that have been visiting US ports since January.

Disease control and prevention centers described the outbreaks in detail through its ship sanitation program. At the most native hearth, reported Monday afternoon, at least 104 passengers and 12 crew members aboard Holland’s America Rotterdam became ill during the two -week cruise, which began on February 2 by Fort Lodherdale, Florida, and is it is expected To land this Friday. As is often the case, the hearth is traced back to Norovirus.

Cruise ships are an famous outbreak environment, thanks to the conditions of close lives and those shared for them. But 2025 is already striving to be a particularly bad year for cruise vacations, gastrointestinal. This last hearth is the seventh reported For CDC this year and the second in February, well above the typical pace of recent years. There were only two outbreaks for context reported Until the beginning of February in 2024 and three in 2023 (there were a total of 18 outbreaks in 2024 and 14 outbreaks in 2023).

On the weekend CDC it is also reported Caribbean The glow of the seaswho eventually affected at least 160 passengers and eight crew members before the ship landed on February 8th. The cause of Glow The outbreak has not been known so far, but smart betting would put his money on Norovirus. More than 90% of the epidemic of diarrheal diseases of the ships is caused by Norovirus, which can be easily and quickly spread through contaminated food and water; close enough contact with infected people; or even by touching surfaces contaminated with invisible spots of curtains or vomiting of an infected person.

Norovirus is often called a “cruise ship virus”, but this is a common problem almost everywhere. Less than 1% of all cases of Norovirus in the United States are tied to cruise ships, according to CDC. Norovirus as a whole has been growing To the late, with a larger number of outbreaks in the United States, reported from last summer than reported in recent seasons.

According to the International Cruise Line Association, the chances of getting sick with Norovirus or any gastrointestinal diseases on board a cruise ship are “quite rarelyS “Still, given the unusual nonsense of outbreaks reported so far in 2025, the holiday ship vacation will personally remain low on my list of perfect vacations. If you disagree then CDC tips to you While a cruise is to make sure you regularly wash your hands, leave any area where people look visibly ill with gastrointestinal disease, and report these potential cases to send staff if they are no longer familiar.