Norovirus Outbreak Reported Aboard Queen Mary 2 Cruise Ship

The CDC reported on a norovirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in March.

Of the 2,538 passengers onboard the cruise ship, 224 of them (8.8%) reported being ill during the voyage. 17 of the 1,232 crew also reported being ill. Cunard Line, the cruise line operating the ship, has initiated “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan,” “collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testing,” and “isolated ill passengers and crew.”

CNN reports that the ship set sail on March 8 and is set to return to the English port at Southampton on April 6. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has told CNN that norovirus is “known obviously as the cruise ship virus” due to how contagious it is and how quickly it can spread in close quarters. He also said the virus can “persist for days or even a week on environmental surfaces.” The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) has also confirmed that it is remotely monitoring the situation aboard the cruise ship.

2024 was “the worst year for cruise-ship based gastrointestinal outbreaks in over a decade,” according to CDC data. There were 16 total gastrointestinal outbreaks reported on cruises across 2024. The CDC does note that “outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.” Passengers on a cruise can mitigate their risk of catching the virus by “washing their hands often” and to stay home if feeling sick before the cruise embarks.