A highly contagious virus is suspected of affecting nearly 80 people who were onboard Holland America’s Westerdam ship in Hong Kong.
Almost 80 people among 2,800 passengers became sick in February due to an outbreak of what was believed to be norovirus, Fox News reported on Friday.
Officials with the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) boarded the cruise ship on March 1 to investigate and found that 65 guests and 11 crew members had symptoms that included diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.
Holland America told the outlet, “During the previous voyage of Westerdam from Yokohama, Japan to Hong Kong, a number of guests reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolving,” adding it implemented enhanced sanitation procedures and deep cleaning.
The Hong Kong government said the outbreak began when the ship was in Japan on February 15 and it spread to others on the vessel.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), norovirus is sometimes referred to as a “stomach bug” and there are different types of the illness.
Steps to protect yourself from the Norovirus include washing your hands, cooking shellfish thoroughly, washing fruits and vegetables, disinfecting contaminated surfaces, and remaining at home when ill until symptoms have been gone for two days.
“Most people with norovirus illness get better within 1 to 3 days. There is no specific medicine to treat people with norovirus illness. Antibiotic drugs will not help treat norovirus infections because they fight bacteria, not viruses,” the agency stated.
In 2020, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed that visitors to a casino in Lake Charles were sickened by norovirus, and in 2024 data from the CDC showed cases were surging across the United States.
Breitbart News noted in 2024:
The number of outbreaks for norovirus is likely higher than the reported statistics due to the fact hospitals rarely test for it and people experiencing symptoms often treat it at home unless the illness becomes severe. Children under the age of five are most at risk of developing severe infections, along with older adults. Cruise ships, college dorms, prisons, and day care centers are often places where the virus spreads fastest.
In the February cruise ship outbreak, the vessel’s lab took stool samples and several patients tested positive for the illness. When authorities determined the vessel had been properly deep cleaned and disinfected, new passengers and crew members boarded and it continued its journey to the Philippines.
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