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cHeroKee
02-26-2008, 12:04 PM
Virus on cruise ship sickens dozens

SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- A highly contagious virus sickened more than 100 passengers on a Holland America cruise ship that returned to San Diego on Monday from a 10-day trip to Mexico.


http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/HEALTH/02/26/cruise.ship.illness.ap/art.ship.ryndam.ap.jpg
The cruise ship ms Ryndam leaves
San Diego harbor on Monday.

Passengers on the ship, the ms Ryndam, first showed signs of the norovirus six days into the trip, said Erik Elvejord, a spokesman for Holland America Line Inc.

The virus causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and lasts 24 to 48 hours.

The virus sickened 104 passengers and six crew members, Elvejord said. The ship was carrying 1,226 passengers and 556 crew members. It visited several ports in Mexico's Sea of Cortez after leaving San Diego on February 15.

An 81-year-old woman who was suffering dehydration was hospitalized after the ship arrived in San Diego. http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch more on the cruise ship virus. ? (http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/02/26/cruise.ship.illness.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo)

This is the fourth suspected norovirus outbreak on the Ryndam since early last year.

Holland America (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Holland_America_Line_Inc), based in Seattle, has not identified the source of the latest outbreak, Elvejord said. Typically, the virus is brought aboard by a passenger.

Health Library
•MayoClinic.com: Norovirus infection (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/norovirus/DS00942)During the cruise, passengers were repeatedly reminded to wash their hands. Those who were infected were asked to stay in their rooms and compensated $100 a day.
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The ship left San Diego (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/San_Diego) late Monday afternoon on another 10-day cruise on Mexico's Pacific coast after a crew spent the day disinfecting passenger and crew areas, Elvejord said.

Holland America told all 1,340 passengers that they could get a refund if they didn't want to board. Only one couple took the refund.

Charsee
03-02-2008, 10:48 PM
I have been on several cruises leaving from the West coast in the last few years (my kids have been off track/home schooled so we could go when it was much cheaper or as part of a group.) Always there have been major outbreaks of illness.

Several people in our party that were elderly got the flu on one trip. My 15 year son had the flu bad enough that he was hallucinating on another trip.

They really can't clean a ship where the people get off in the morning and back on in the afternoon.

At least the Holland America cruise line reimbursed people who were sick. One man had a temper tantrum about that when his wife was sick and got kicked off the boat in Alaska. Can't remember which boat that was.

Then there is always sea sickness. That was a problem on the cruise I took last year to Mexico. Couldn't pay me enough to take another cruise on the open sea.

Alaska is okay because it is mostly protected from open waters...but it is cold.

If it wasn't for the food...