The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating after more than 300 people aboard a cruise ship fell ill with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea.
In an investigation update shared this week, the CDC confirmed that the illness-focused incident in question occurred aboard the Ruby Princess ship operated by Princess Cruises. Per Houston Public Media, the ship initially left Galveston on Feb. 26 and returned to the Texas city on March 5.
The CDC determined that 284 passengers (or just under 10 percent of the total 2,881 travelers aboard the ship) reported such illness during the trip; additionally, 34 members of the ship’s crew reported the same. The “predominant symptoms,” the agency added, included the aforementioned combination of vomiting and diarrhea.
Also noted in the CDC’s breakdown is that the Princess Cruises team was quick to implement various response measures, including updating guests and sending stool samples to the CDC for analysis. Meanwhile, the agency listed the cause of the illness as “unknown,” at least as of March 7.
In a statement shared with Complex on Thursday, a spokesperson for Princess Cruises said the cause of guests’ “mild gastrointestinal illness” was likely norovirus, which is highly contagious and is infamous for causing a combination of vomiting and diarrhea. Routine causes include contact with someone already infected, drinking contaminated water and/or eating contaminated food, and not washing hands after touching a contaminated surface.
In addition to rolling out CDC-collaborating “enhanced sanitization procedures,” a Princess Cruises spokesperson told Complex that the ship was put through another disinfection in Galveston before its next trip, a seven-day Caribbean cruise. That trip is currently in progress and is set to wrap up this weekend.
