Norovirus outbreak hits Ruby Princess, over 120 passengers and crew fall ill

California: A cruise ship carrying 3,032 passengers and 1,144 crew members has now been stationed off the coast of San Francisco, California, as sanitation protocols are triggered. The cruise ship is said to be hit by an outbreak of norovirus affecting the passengers and crew on board.

The Ruby Princess, part of Princess Cruises, was on a 20-day-round-trip Alaskan Voyage when the horrific bug struck about 120 people on board. The trip also involved a stop in British Columbia, Canada. It set off on its voyage on June 12 and returned to the US on July 2, with the outbreak being reported on June 28.

The CDC noted that over 3.4% of the passengers and 2% of the ship’s crew had reported symptoms of Norovirus after being ill during the trip. Most of the symptoms included diarrhea and vomiting. Out of the passengers on board, 102 reported being unwell, alongside 23 of the crew members.

The CDC said that the vessel implemented enhanced sanitation protocols and that cases have significantly decreased since then.

“Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of guests reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the 20-day June 12 Ruby Princess voyage from San Francisco.”

“Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship, and cases have since decreased and remain low,” CDC mentioned in a statement.

CDC further noted that the program is monitoring the situation along with outbreak response and further sanitation procedures.

Vessel Sanitation Program [VSP] is remotely monitoring the situation, including review of the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures, the CDC reported.

Further measures taken by the company included isolating passengers and crew, collecting stool samples to test, and contacting the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, the agency reported.

Officials announced that the ship is undergoing “comprehensive cleaning and disinfection prior to departing in the afternoon for her next voyage.”

The Ruby Princess outbreak comes a little over a month after a norovirus outbreak slammed another Princess Cruises ship. A norovirus outbreak over the Caribbean Princess affected over 100 passengers and more than a dozen of crew members during its 14-day voyage through the Eastern Caribbean.