More than 100 guests and crew reported being sick in a norovirus outbreak aboard a globe-hopping cruise ship, the CDC has announced, the 21st outbreak of gastrointestinal disease on a cruise ship monitored by the agency this year.
AIDA Cruises alerted the CDC to the outbreak aboard the AIDAdiva on November 30, the agency said.
The outbreak impacted 95 passengers out of the 2,007 onboard, and 6 out of 640 staff members, according to the CDC.
They predominantly suffered symptoms, including diarrhea and vomiting on the voyage, which began on November 10 and is slated to last through December 16.
In response to the outbreak, the cruise operator increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, isolated sick passengers and crew, consulted with the CDCâs Vessel Sanitation Program, and collected stool specimens for testing, the agency said.
“Seasonal illness peaks between November and April and the AIDAdiva report reflects infection patterns on land,â AIDA told People. âTherefore, weâve added more hygiene protocols onboard, and cases are already going down.”
The Independent has contacted AIDA for further comment.
The AIDAdiva is in the middle of a 133-day cruise, which set out from Hamburg, Germany, and has planned stops throughout North America, according to CruiseMapper. The ship is currently in Costa Rica, per the site.
The outbreak marks the 21st such incident aboard a CDC-regulated cruise ship this year. All but five of those incidents were caused by norovirus.
There have been more outbreaks this year than in 2024, when there were 18, and 2023, when there were 14.
Officials said itâs unclear whatâs driving the trend.
“While the number of recent cruise ship outbreaks has been higher than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this represents a new trend,” the CDC told USA TODAY in April. “However, CDC data show a newly dominant strain is currently associated with reported norovirus outbreaks on land. Ships typically follow the pattern of land-based outbreaks, which are higher this norovirus season.”
Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting, diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the U.S., according to the CDC.
The disease causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines.
Most people with norovirus typically get better within 1 to 3 days, but can still be contagious.
The disease can be spread through the air or by contact with contaminated surfaces.
Regular handwashing and thoroughly cooking and cleaning produce and shellfish can help prevent people from contracting the virus, as can regular disinfecting of surfaces.
