By Marie Rosenthal, MS
Five cruise ships reported outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease in December causing illness in almost 900 people, according to the CDC. All of the illnesses were caused by norovirus, the agency said.
One outbreak is ongoing. The Queen Mary 2, run by the Cunard Line, set sail on Dec. 21. The illness was reported to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) on Dec. 19.
In all, 326 passengers of 2,565 (12.7%) reported being ill during the voyage. Of the crew, 65 of 1,233