153 people on Princess cruise ship in the Caribbean infected with norovirus

Nearly one in ten people on board a Princess cruise ship touring the Caribbean became ill with norovirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week.

The total number of people who fell ill was 153, 104 of whom were passengers and 49 of whom were crew members, the CDC said in a report on the outbreak Thursday.

The vessel, the Star Princess, was on a one-week voyage that ended Sunday, the CDC said. Passengers and crew members were stricken with diarrhea and vomiting, it said.

Princess Cruises reported that additional rounds of cleaning and disinfection were done, ill passengers and crew members were isolated until they could disembark, and staff members consulted with the CDC on best practices for eliminating the highly contagious, long-lasting virus, the agency said.

Princess Cruises did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

The outbreak was reported Wednesday to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, whose members went to the ship to investigate, the CDC said.

According to cruise ship tracking site CruiseMapper, the 4,300-passenger vessel returned to Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday before it embarked on a new voyage that had it headed to Princess Cays in the Bahamas on Sunday evening.

Norovirus is the leading cause of diarrhea and vomiting outbreaks in the United States, according to the CDC. It can spread through direct contact with others, consuming food and liquids contaminated with the virus, and touching contaminated surfaces. Norovirus can be prevented by disinfecting surfaces and washing hands frequently, the CDC says.

The Star Princess, with a clear dome over its concert venue and 30 bars and restaurants, embarked on its maiden voyage, from Europe, in October, and was christened the next month by actor Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila, who were designated its godparents, according to a statement from Princess Cruises last year.