Norovirus sickens 200 people on New Zealand cruise

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Health authorities in New Zealand said Monday that about 200 passengers on a cruise ship have been sickened by an outbreak of norovirus.

The passengers were among more than 1,500 aboard the Dawn Princess, which was due to leave for Australia Monday as it completes a 13-day voyage. The ship is operated by Princess Cruises, a division of Miami-based Carnival Corp.

Dr. Alistair Humphrey, the medical officer of health for Canterbury, said health officials conducted tests which confirmed the illness is norovirus. He said the outbreak now appears to be waning.

FULL short story at link.



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141208/as--new_zealand-cruise_ship_norovirus-5079d22398.html

[Marrah_G]

1. My ex calls cruises "floating petri dishes"

I tend to agree with him. Lots of people packed into one space for a week or two, eating from buffets....what could go wrong?

[murielm99]

2. My husband doesn't like cruise ships, either.

He says we are never doing that. That is okay with me.

[Posteritatis]

3. Yeah; it doesn't happen often, but when it does it REALLY happens

I work in a museum next door to a cruise ship terminal, and we get a hundred or so ships most seasons. There's usually 'only' one or two that have a health problem like that on board, and when it happens it tends to devour half the ship so it's a hell of a mess.

The last affected ones that were approaching town, they let them dock but only to render medical assistance. Even minor (by the standards!) stomach bugs can be pretty scary when they're marching through a ship mainly filled with retirees, like a lot of the ones visiting here tend to get.

Either way, no thank you!

That said, I still feel pretty fond about a few of the lines in particular, the ones that try to remember the actual history behind their ships' namesakes. A lot of their predecessors would dock at the museum's site when it was an immigration facility, so seeing that connection generations later is neat.