Over 100 cruise passengers sickened after gastrointestinal illness outbreak
Cunard's Queen Victoria is underway on a 107-night cruise
Cruise ships are seeing more people come on board this summer, as 31.5 million people are expected to cruise this year. That would be more than the last full year before the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 120 guests became sick with an illness while sailing on the Cunard Cruise Line's Queen Victoria ship.
The unwell guests have reported experiencing a gastrointestinal illness that caused symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting, according to the agency.
There have also been 15 cases of gastrointestinal illness among crew members.
The luxury cruise liner Queen Victoria, owned by Cunard, is seen on its way to the Port of Southampton n England on Dec. 7, 2007. (Mike Jones/Kos Picture Source via / Getty Images)
The CDC noted the numbers for sick passengers and crew on the Queen Victoria are the totals for a Jan. 22-Feb. 12 stint and "do not represent the number of active (symptomatic) gastrointestinal cases at any given port of call or at disembarkation."
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Cunard confirmed to FOX Business that a "small number of guests had reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on board Queen Victoria."
"They immediately activated their enhanced health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of all guests and crew onboard," a spokesperson for the cruise line said.
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Cunard "increased cleaning and disinfection procedures," the CDC said. It also separated the sick people from others onboard.
Cunard's Queen Victoria approaches Stockholm on July 11, 2014. (James D Morgan via Getty Images)
The cause of the outbreak on the ship is currently unknown.
The Queen Victoria, which is underway on a 107-night cruise, can host over 2,000 passengers at a time, according to Cunard. The CDC said it had 1,824 guests on board for the Jan. 22-Feb. 12 stint.
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