Norwalk Virus Sickens Passengers on Hawaiian Cruise

By Anna Boyd
10:31, November 13th 2007
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Norwalk Virus Sickens Passengers on Hawaiian Cruise

Hundreds of passengers aboard a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship that sailed around Hawaii over the past week fell ill because of a highly contagious virus, lab tests confirmed.

The Pride of Hawaii returned to Honolulu Monday after its weekly cruise around the islands but this time around, some 220 of its passengers were ill, according to officials. Lab tests confirmed a norovirus – a highly contagious virus that causes stomach flu.

“It's one of the common viruses we've been seeing on cruise lines,” Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Health, said in a statement. “Most of the time, people recover.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating, added Okubo.

The cruise line said that that the Norwalk-like virus – which causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea - infected about 9 percent of the ship's 2,500 passengers, and no one was hospitalized, the Associated Press reports.

Virus symptoms typically last a day. Passengers that fell ill were asked to remain in their rooms for 24 hours. As a precaution, their cabin mates were asked to do the same. Norwegian Cruise Lines offered sick passengers a compensation in the form of a $200 on-ship credit, according to the AP.

The crew cleaned surfaces in the ship to eliminate lingering viruses, the cruise line said.

Norwegian Cruise Lines describes the Pride of Hawaii as “the biggest, most luxurious ship in the islands” on its website, www.ncl.com. It began service last year.

Becoming infected with norovirus may lead to complications such as dehydration, especially among the young and elderly, and may require medical attention, according to the U.S. Centers for Prevention and Disease Control.

Outbreaks usually include restaurants and catered meals, nursing homes, schools, and vacation settings or cruise ships, according to the CDC.



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