A cruise ship carrying thousands of passengers docked in Alaska Monday despite being hit by its second consecutive outbreak of a nasty stomach illness.
The Ruby Princess arrived in Haines after six crew members and one passenger were placed in isolation with acute gastroenteritis, prompting Princess Cruises to ramp up disinfecting measures and coordinate health protocols with shore excursion operators, the Juneau Independent reported. The vessel departed San Francisco on July 2 after undergoing an extensive deep clean following a much larger outbreak on its previous voyage.
The latest outbreak comes just days after the same ship was rocked by a much larger norovirus outbreak on its previous voyage, when 125 of the 4,176 people onboard fell ill during a cruise from San Francisco to Alaska. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 3.4% of passengers and 2% of crew reported symptoms, primarily vomiting and diarrhea.
The vessel was disinfected before new passengers boarded for its current sailing. Princess Cruises said crew members also isolated sick passengers and staff, collected stool samples for testing and worked with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program as part of its response. The company previously said illness levels had fallen before the ship departed on its latest voyage.
Monday’s arrival also marked the third time this year that a cruise ship carrying passengers or crew with an active gastrointestinal outbreak has called at Haines. The Ruby Princess is scheduled to continue its Alaska itinerary with stops including Tracy Arm, Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, before returning to San Francisco.
Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting, diarrhea and foodborne illness in the United States and remains the most common virus behind illness outbreaks on cruise ships. The virus was responsible for 17 of the 23 cruise ship outbreaks reported to the CDC last year. The Ruby Princess can carry about 3,080 passengers and 1,200 crew members across its 19 decks.
