Inaugural World Cruise Gets a Rude Interruption

Cruise clusters of norovirus are making their presence felt this year, with the latest outbreak logged on AIDA Cruises' first-ever world cruise. The German cruise line's AIDAdiva vessel departed Hamburg on Nov. 10 for a 133-day trip, with stops scheduled in the UK, the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Japan, per USA Today and the London Standard. Passengers began experiencing vomiting and diarrhea after stops in Boston, New York, and Miami, per the Standard. According to the CDC, 95 of 2,007 passengers and six crew have fallen ill. The cruise line says it responded by ramping up cleaning protocols and isolating those who were sick.

Norovirus has been the main culprit behind most cruise ship gastrointestinal outbreaks in recent years. Of 21 CDC-reported cruise outbreaks this year, 16 were tied to norovirus; last year, it was linked to 15 of 18 outbreaks. People often associate norovirus with cruise ships, yet the ships account for just 1% of reported norovirus outbreaks. In April, the CDC noted cruise ships tend to mirror wider trends ashore, where outbreaks are also on the rise, possibly related to a new dominant strain. AIDA pointed out this is the time of peak seasonal illness, adding that with additional hygiene measures, "cases are already going down," per USA Today. The cruise is expected to continue until March.