Star Princess. Photo: Jillian Cain Photography / Shutterstock The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCA) has reported a stomach virus outbreak aboard the Princess Cruises' Star Princess cruise ship.
According to the CDC, this significant health event occurred during one of the luxury ship's cruises that began on March 7 and ended one week later, on March 14.
Official reports say 141 passengers out of a total of 4,307 (3.3%) fell ill/ At the same time, 52 crew members out of 1,561 employees (3.3%) were affected.
The virus causing the outbreak is norovirus, known for its rapid spread and severe symptoms: diarrhea and vomiting.
According to the CDC report, the company and staff immediately took emergency actions: increasing cleaning and disinfection, collecting stool samples for testing, and isolating patients.
The CDC emphasizes that early reporting of symptoms by passengers and crew members is critical for early detection of such outbreaks, and that cruise ships must report every possible case to prevent the rapid spread of gastrointestinal illnessess.