Highly contagious Virus strikes ocean liner after ill omen at launch
Pastor Dale Morgan
Highly contagious** Virus strikes ocean liner after ill omen at launch*
By Caroline Gammell
Last Updated: 1:32am GMT 31/12/2007
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Scores of passengers on board the Ł300 million ocean liner launched by
the Duchess of Cornwall have been struck down by a highly contagious
stomach bug only three weeks after its unlucky naming ceremony.
The champagne bottle swung against the hull of the Queen Victoria failed
to break - a sign of bad luck in the seafaring world.
The Duchess of Cornwall; Sickness strikes liner after ill omen at ceremony
The Duchess of Cornwall at the naming ceremony and the Queen Victoria
off Malaga, Spain
Now, on only its second voyage, the 90,000-ton vessel has been hit by an
outbreak of norovirus, the "winter sickness bug" that causes vomiting
and diarrhoea for up to three days.
As The Daily Telegraph reported last week, almost two million people
have been struck down with the virus this winter - more than double the
number of cases last year.
Cunard, the owners of the Queen Victoria, said it would not offer
compensation because the virus was so common and it felt suitable
measures were in place to cope with any outbreak.
But one passenger on the 16-day cruise to the Canary Islands accused the
company of failing to implement hygiene rules.
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A total 78 of the 3,000 passengers and crew on board the Queen Victoria
have been hit by norovirus and treated in their cabins.
Michael Gallagher, a spokesman for Cunard, said: "On the current voyage
of the Queen Victoria we have got an increase in gastro-intestinal virus
that has affected passengers and crew.
"There are currently 25 cases. The numbers are declining and we feel we
have the situation under control. It is likely that it is norovirus,
which is extremely contagious and can be transmitted from person to
person. Norovirus is currently rife in the UK and the US."
He said the vessel's maiden voyage was virus-free but now extra measures
have been implemented, including disinfecting surfaces, railings, door
handles and lift buttons, distributing antiseptic gels and encouraging
passengers to use their own bathrooms.
The ship's schedule has not been affected and it will arrive in Gran
Canaria today for New Year's Eve and return to Southampton on Jan 6 as
planned.
Mr Gallagher said there would be no money returned to those struck down
with illness.
"This is a common bug which we cannot compensate for. We are confident
that we are doing all we can and we have put the various procedures we
have in place."
Jean Trainor, 49, a passenger from Blackburn, told a Sunday newspaper:
"I was eating in the Britannia restaurant on Thursday night when a woman
at a table beside me collapsed. Paramedics wearing masks rushed to the
scene. The woman was taken away in a wheelchair, the table was covered
up and the area was sealed off. It was like a police crime scene.
"No hygiene rules were implemented until people fell ill. If they had
been, maybe this could have been avoided. There have also been problems
with the lavatories not flushing. I resent having paid Ł7,500 to be on
this cruise."
When asked if he thought that the failure of the champagne bottle to
break had brought bad luck, Mr Gallagher replied: "I cannot comment on
superstition."
The liner's unhappy start has echoes of the MV Aurora. The champagne
bottle used by The Princess Royal failed to break in 2000 and the liner
broke down 18 hours into its maiden voyage.