100 Sickened by  Norovirus On Cruise, Company Says*

By DAVE SIMANOFF The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 15, 2007

TAMPA - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said Friday that at least 100
people aboard its Celebrity Cruises Zenith were stricken with a
gastrointestinal illness that's thought to have been caused by a norovirus.

The Zenith left the Port of Tampa on April 2 and returned Friday as
scheduled.

Royal Caribbean, based in Miami, said 89 of the people who got sick were
guests, and the rest were crew members. The ship was carrying 1,363
guests and 613 crew members.

All of the sick passengers were treated onboard with over-the-counter
medication, Royal Caribbean said. Nearly all of the passengers who got
sick had improved by the time the ship docked in Tampa, the company said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says noroviruses are a
group of viruses that cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach
cramps. People infected with these viruses also can experience fever,
chills or muscle aches. Symptoms usually last one or two days.

Norovirus outbreaks have been reported on many cruise ships.

Earlier this year, the CDC reported that 276 passengers and 28 crew
members had been infected with norovirus aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2
when the ship docked in San Francisco.

Late last year, there were norovirus outbreaks on two consecutive
cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas: 308 people were
sick on the first cruise, and 108 people on the second. Around the same
time, 119 people were infected by noroviruses aboard Princess Cruises'
Sun Princess. All three docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.