Cruise ship horror as person dies in ‘norovirus outbreak’ as 1,700 passengers stranded | World | News
One person has died on a cruise ship as a suspected norovirus outbreak caused chaos for 1,700 passengers.
Passengers and crew of the Ambassador Cruise Line ship, including British citizens, are currently in Bordeaux, with more than 50 people reporting symptoms. A 90-year-old passenger was found dead on the plane, and French authorities said the woman was suffering from symptoms of norovirus, a type of gastroenteritis that causes vomiting and diarrhea.
French authorities also said that the first signs of symptoms among passengers were recorded on May 11. All passengers are currently in quarantine and will be tested for symptoms of norovirus. However, it is not yet known how long they will have to stay in France.
Up to fifty passengers are understood to have been affected by symptoms consistent with acute gastrointestinal infection.
“Gastrointestinal viruses such as norovirus are very common on cruise ships,” says Dr Lucy Hooper, co-founder of Coyne Medical. “Norovirus is often referred to as stomach flu and begins predominantly with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and sometimes fever.”
“You need very small numbers of particles of the virus for it to be transmitted between people,” Hooper said. “It can also spread on surfaces, so you don’t need to touch an infected person to catch it.
“You can catch the virus by even touching the doorknob or tongs at a food stall, which is why norovirus can become such a big problem in an environment like a cruise.”
Meanwhile, 10 Britons thought to be based in the UK overseas territories of St Helena and Ascension Island and linked to a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship are being “brought to the UK to complete their self-isolation as a precautionary measure”, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The UKHSA said relocation involves sending “some contacts who are already in quarantine to locations where they can isolate themselves safely with access to appropriate specialist medical services”.
It added: “This is because England’s NHS high-consequences infectious disease network is equipped to intervene if they feel unwell. None of these contacts are currently symptomatic and this is a measure to support communities in the UK overseas territory. We will determine where they will isolate in due course.”
So far, 11 cases of hantavirus, including three deaths, have been reported among people aboard the MV Hondius. 9 of 11 cases are confirmed, with two more probable cases.
