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2010-02-25 18:37:03 - Epidemic - Anguilla EDIS CODE: EP-20100225-25078-AIA
Date & Time: 2010-02-25 18:37:03 [UTC]
Area: Anguilla, , Celebrity Mercury Cruise Ship, Number of Infected person(s): 300
Not confirmed information! Description: A Celebrity Cruises ship sailing in the Caribbean is experiencing an unusually large breakout of a norovirus-like illness, with more than 15% of passengers having fallen ill. Spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said about 300 out of 1,800 passengers on the Celebrity Mercury are suffering from stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea. The ship set sail out of Charleston on Feb. 15 on an 11-night voyage to the Caribbean that is scheduled to end in the city on Friday. Martinez told the Associated Press the ship's medical facilities have been overwhelmed, and the vessel brought on an extra doctor and nurse during its latest port call. Martinez tells USA TODAY samples from infected passengers will be dropped off Tuesday at a laboratory for testing to determine the exact cause of the illness. The outbreak isn't expected to have an impact on next week's cruise on the ship, Martinez says. "We have already begun extra cleaning, in an abundance of caution," she says. "We do not expect a delay at turnaround." Such outbreaks are becoming increasingly rare. The number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships sailing from U.S. ports has been dropping sharply in recent years and is at its lowest level in nearly a decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta recorded just 13 outbreaks of illnesses such as norovirus on cruise ships operating out of U.S. ports in 2009, down from 15 in 2008, 21 in 2007 and 34 in 2006.
The name of Hazard: Norovirus-like illness
Symptoms: Stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea
Species: Human
Status: Confirmed
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