On Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, hundreds of passengers and staff members have become ill due to two gastrointestinal epidemics.
Diarrhea and vomiting are symptoms, but the reason is yet unknown. To stop the spread, Cunard has increased isolation and cleaning efforts.
Two separate gastrointestinal illness outbreaks have affected Cunard’s flagship liner, Queen Mary 2, making crew and guests on different journeys unwell.
The CDC reports that 44 crew members and 223 out of 2,565 guests experienced symptoms during its most recent trip from New York.
On a previous trip that left Southampton, England, on December 14, 12 crew members and 138 passengers became ill. The cause of the symptoms, which included cramping in the abdomen, diarrhea, and vomiting, is still unknown.
Cunard continues to sail with improved cleaning procedures and isolation measures for afflicted individuals in spite of the infections.
The CDC acknowledged measures to isolate the ill and disinfect the ship, but the cruise line has not commented on the situation.
According to the CDC, cruise-related epidemics make up about 1% of all reported gastrointestinal ailments, despite being widely publicized. These epidemics were not confirmed to be caused by norovirus, a common culprit in similar cases.
The bulk of the 16 cruise ship outbreaks that have reached the CDC’s public notification threshold this year have been caused by norovirus.
The date coincides with the winter season, when gastrointestinal disorders are more common.
These occurrences serve as a reminder of the difficulties faced by close quarters travel during illness-prone seasons, even though cruise holidays are frequently thought of as luxurious and relaxing.
