Norovirus outbreak on cruise out of Florida sickens more than 100 people: CDC
The Brief
The CDC says 107 passengers and 12 crew members onboard Holland America Line's MS Rotterdam have contracted norovirus.
The ship sailed out of Port Everglades on Feb. 2.
Norovirus is highly contagious, according to the CDC, and is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the U.S.
TAMPA, Fla. - More than 100 passengers and crew onboard a cruise ship that sailed out of Florida have gotten sick with norovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By the numbers
The CDC says Holland America Line's MS Rotterdam embarked on a 12-day voyage from Port Everglades on Feb. 2.
The latest numbers show 107 of the ship's 2,614 passengers and 12 of the 969 crew members have contracted norovirus.
In response, Holland America told the CDC that it's increasing cleaning and disinfecting, while isolating infected passengers and crew to help prevent further spread.
READ: Florida 'brothel' allegedly run by illegal immigrants shut down after victim's desperate phone call
Big picture view
Norovirus is also referred to as the "stomach flu" or the "stomach bug," but is not related to the flu, according to the CDC. It's highly contagious and is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, along with foodborne illness, in the U.S.
The federal agency says more than half of norovirus outbreaks have been linked to restaurants or other food-related environments, and can happen when people who are infected come into contact with food or drinks.
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Dig deeper
So far in 2025, seven cruise ships sailing out of the U.S. have reported outbreaks of illness to the CDC.
Just last week, Royal Caribbean reported the spread of a gastrointestinal illness onboard the Radiance of the Seas, which sailed out of Tampa. As of Tuesday, the final number of cases reported to the CDC totaled 160 passengers and eight crew members.
The Source
Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Regina Gonzalez.
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