Stomach Bug on Disney Cruise
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness occurred aboard the the Disney Cruise Line ship the Disney Wonder last week, and more than 100 people have become sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.
CDC is investigating an outbreak of a stomach bug aboard the cruise ship. The patients suffered symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea resembling norovirus; however, the exact etiology has not been determined.
The ship had almost 2,700 passengers and almost 1,000 crew members. It left Miami last Wednesday and returned Sunday after going to the Bahamas.
“Our primary focus was on taking care of our guests and crew. We have a comprehensive plan that outlines protocols for managing this kind of situation and closely follow CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of common stomach-related illnesses," a Disney spokesperson said.
Gastrointestinal bug is also known as Norovirus which can also be found on land. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea.
These types of outbreaks are unfortunately common on cruise ships although Disney has had a fairly clean record in comparison. The last time they had a major sickness outbreak was in 2002 aboard the Disney Magic.