Virus Sickens Over 380 on Cruise Ship
Pastor Dale Morgan
Virus Sickens Over 380 on Cruise Ship*
Monday December 4, 2006 3:01 AM
MIAMI (AP) - More than 380 passengers and crew aboard the world's
largest cruise ship were sickened by a virus during a seven-day
Caribbean cruise, cruise officials said Sunday.
Norovirus sickened 338 passengers and 46 crew members about the Royal
Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, and they were treated with
over-the-counter medication, the Miami-based company said.
The ship, which had roughly 3,800 passengers and 1,300 crew members,
returned Sunday as scheduled to the Port of Miami. Crew members
sanitized frequently touched surfaces such as railings, door handles and
elevator buttons after the short-lived outbreak began, officials said.
A guest previously exposed to norovirus likely brought it on board Nov.
26, the company said.
Noroviruses, characterized by stomach flu-like symptoms, affect about 23
million Americans annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control.
An outbreak struck more than 700 passengers and crew members aboard a
trans-Atlantic cruise last month on the Carnival Cruise Lines' Liberty.
The Freedom of the Seas, which was christened in May, can carry more
than 4,000 people aboard its 15 passenger decks.
---
On the Net: