A norovirus outbreak was reported to have affected more than
300 passengers and crew members aboard the world-famous Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
before the ocean liner docked in
San
Francisco Wednesday for a regularly scheduled stop,
according to news reports.
The ship started the latest around-the-world journey on Jan
8 from
New York.
The norovirus outbreak was believed to occur
after it left
Fort Lauderdale.
Florida on
Jan. 10.
Health officials from the Centers fro Disease Control and
Prevention got aboard the ship in
Acapulco,
Mexico to
investigate the outbreak after the agency was reported that more than
300 passengers and crew members came down with suspected norovirus infection.
Among the affected were 276 passengers of
the 1,652 passengers or 17 percent and 28 crew members.
The crew performed "enhanced
sanitation" operations in response to the outbreak, according to Brian
O'conner, the spokesman of Cunard Line, the owner of the ship.
The predominant symptoms associated with the norovirus infection
aboard the ship were diarrhea and vomiting, the CDC states on its website.
By Wednesday, all the affected except three or four had recovered
from the norovirus.
The ship
operator believed that a passenger form
New
York
probably brought the virus aboard, causing the norovirus
outbreak.
Norovirus outbreaks occur from time to time aboard cruise
ships.
In 2006, a total of 34 outbreaks occurred
aboard cruise ships, according to the CDC.
A latest confirmed norovirus outbreak occurred last month aboard the
world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, infecting
338 passengers out of 3823.
Norovirus is a group of viruses that cause stomach flu or gastroenteritis.
People can get infected with this virus by eating food or
drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus or touching surfaces or
objects contaminated with norovirus, and then placing their hand in their month.
The transmission could also occur when one
person touches another who is infected with the virus, according to the CDC.
Within 24 to 48 or even as short as 12 hours after a norovirus
infection, the infected person can show a series of symptoms including nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Symptoms can also include a
low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of
tiredness.
No antiviral medications or vaccine are available to treat
the stomach flu. The illness often go away one or two days after infection.
Children and elderly people and those with
weakened immune systems may experience dehydration; so they may consider
drinking oral dehydration fluids (ORF), juice, or water to get hydrated again.
Norovirus is highly contagious.
It can spread from an infected person even
before symptoms show up or days after symptoms disappear.
The best way to prevent norovirus is to wash hands
before eating anything that might be contaminated with norovirus. People should
eat only carefully washed fruits and vegetables. Oysters should be
steamed before consumption.
For more information on cruising and norovirus, visit the
following pages by the CDC.
