A document from the CDC reveals that numerous individuals became unwell due to a norovirus epidemic aboard Celebrity Summit the previous week.
While sailing on a seven-day Alaskan journey from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seward, Alaska, passengers started exhibiting symptoms.
As per the CDC, the Celebrity cruise vessel accommodated 2,264 (68 unwell) passengers and 943 (5 unwell) crew members, accounting for 3% of guests and 0.53% of the crew falling ill. This fulfills the organization’s requirements for disclosing gastrointestinal disease occurrences to the CDC. The primary symptoms described were diarrhea and vomiting.
| In a conversation with Cruise Radio, Ed McDonough, a medical assistant, mentioned that norovirus is not confined to cruise ships but possesses the potential to rapidly propagate due to close proximity on board. Furthermore, he acknowledged treating norovirus cases outside of the cruise ship environment in his medical practice. |
Elevate hygiene standards
To contain the transmission of norovirus, crew members implemented isolation protocols for passengers and crew and procured stool specimens for analysis.
Celebrity Summit also managed the debarkation of guests to minimize contact and sanitized various sections of the vessel.
Norovirus isn’t solely a cruise ship ailment
| Place | 2023 Cases |
|---|---|
| ON LAND | 19-21 million cases (CDC STATISTICS) |
| CRUISE SHIPS | 2,017 cases (CDC STATISTICS) |
Cruise companies are obligated to inform the CDC about incidents, unlike hotels and shore-based properties.
Typically, in such scenarios, cruise lines diminish as many interactions as possible between guests and crew. These may include no longer using ship cards but instead utilizing room numbers and crew members serving at the buffet instead of guests.
This marks the third norovirus outbreak on a Celebrity cruise vessel and the eighth one reported by the organization on US cruise ships in 2024.
Nevertheless, the norovirus figures for this year are markedly lower than those in 2023 when comparing year-on-year.
Itinerary of Alaskan Cruise Remains Unaffected
Despite the outbreak, the Alaskan cruise continued with its planned schedule, and most guests enjoyed their voyage. The week-long adventure showcased preset stops at prominent attractions in the region, including Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait Port, and Hubbard Glacier.
The CDC keeps tabs on cruise ship outbreaks on its portal. Up to this point in the year, six cruise ships have reported norovirus incidents and one has encountered an E. coli bacterial episode.
